Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Historical Dictionary of the United Nations (Historical Dictionaries of International Organizations)

At a time of profound transformations in international relations, the second edition of Historical Dictionary of the United Nations maps out the continuing and deepening role and relevance of the United Nations in the maintenance of peace and the promotion of development and human rights. Focusing on the past two decades developments, this book contributes to a reasoned and fuller understanding of an organization which remains the cornerstone of a changing world fraught with challenges which simply cannot be addressed either unilaterally or bilaterally. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of the United Nations contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1,000 cross-referenced entries on its basic organizations, subsidiary bodies, related specialized and other agencies, and nongovernmental actors as well as outstanding figures in its history. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the United Nations. Review This book updates the Historical Dictionary of the United Nations published in 2007, successor to the original 1995 edition. (A paperback version, The A to Z of the United Nations, came out in 2009). At nearly 800 pages and over 1,000 entries, it is a much-needed and welcome revision. The author, a former member of the UN Secretariat, has fine-tuned the contents, deleting entries and refreshing and adding others. The entries are brief, typically no more than a page, and, as is invariably the case with encyclopedic works, deciding what to include and leave out is a matter of editorial judgment. The book follows the same format as others in the "Historical Dictionary" series, with a revised introduction, chronology, and bibliography supplemented by several appendixes. Comparable works include The Concise Encyclopedia of the United Nations (Martinus Nijhoff, 2010) and Encyclopedia of the United Nations (Facts on File, 2002). The four-volume Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements (Routledge, 2003), albeit dated, remains primus inter pares. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.--CHOICE As is usual in this series, the bibliography is both broad and deep in its coverage and detail. I highly recommend this volume as a reference work in academic and government libraries.--American Reference Books Annual About the Author Jacques Fomerand retired from the United Nations service where he worked first in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and then at the United Nations University. He currently teaching at New York University, Occidental College and John Jay College courses on international affairs and organization at the graduate and under graduate levels.