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This new edition of The Kurds in Iraq brings the book fully up to date in the light of recent events in Iraq and the ever-present danger of civil war. Kerim Yildiz explores the impact of occupation and escalating violence. there is an entirely new chapter on Kirkuk, which continues to be of major strategic interest to the various powers in the region. There is also a new chapter on insurgency and sectarianism that examines the motivations behind the insurgency, the tactics that are used, and an outline of possible ways to deal with it. The book is a unique account of the problems that all political groups face in bringing stability to the country. It explores Kurdish links to those political groups and their role in international relations in the broader sense. It should be required reading for policymakers and anyone interested in the current position of the Kurds in Iraq.

The contributors to this book challenge the usual boundaries of 'post-colonial' theory. Focusing on American literature, they examine how America's own imperial history has shaped the literatures that have emerged from within America -- for instance, from Native American, Latino, Black and Asian-American writers. They contrast this with postcolonial literatures from countries whose history has been shaped by American colonialism -- from Canada, Central America and the Caribbean to Hawaii, Indonesia and Vietnam. In this way the contributors explore key questions about national identity and multiculturalism: why, for instance, is a Native writer categorised within 'American literature' if writing on one side of the border, but as 'Canadian' and 'post-colonial' if writing on the other? This is a challenging collection that raises questions not only about the boundaries of post-colonial theory, but also about ethnicity and multiculturalism, and the impact of immigration and assimilation -- issues that lie at the heart of the literary curriculum.

What does Israel hope to achieve with its recent withdrawal from Gaza and the building of a 700km wall around the West Bank? Jonathan Cook, who has reported on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the Second Intifada, presents a lucid account of the Jewish state's motives. The heart of the issue, he argues, is demography. Israel fears the moment when the region's Palestinians - Israel's own Palestinian citizens and those in the Occupied Territories - become a majority. Inevitable comparisons with apartheid in South Africa will be drawn. The book charts Israel's increasingly desperate responses to its predicament: -- military repression of Palestinian dissent on both sides of the Green Line -- accusations that Israel's Palestinian citizens and the Palestinian Authority are secretly conspiring to subvert the Jewish state from within -- a ban on marriages between Israel's Palestinian population and Palestinians living under occupation to prevent a right of return 'through the back door' -- the redrawing of the Green Line to create an expanded, fortress state where only Jewish blood and Jewish religion count Ultimately, concludes the author, these abuses will lead to a third, far deadlier intifada.

Think of Latin America and what do you see? Cocaine? Carnevale? Chaos? In "Lost Worlds," Kevin Foster explores how these and other stereotypes about Latin America came into being and what their continuing currency tells us about ourselves.Foster argues that over the last 200 years Latin America has served the English speaking west as an imaginary realm where its highest hopes and deepest anxieties might be realised or assuaged.Examining a range of texts, from Southey's epics to Naipaul's essays, from Conan Doyle's gentlemen adventures to Kerouac's restless hipsters, from the ruined Missions of Paraguay to the urban chaos of 1970s Argentina, this book examines the role that Latin America has played in British, US and Australian endeavours to resolve the key moral and political crises facing the English speaking west in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

What role does the US play in shaping Australian politics? Australia is one of the US's most staunch supporters: Australia has sent troops to Iraq, and is an ally in the 'war on terror'. Australian domestic policy also follows the US economic model, as state industries and services have been privatised. Erik Paul, a specialist in international studies, dissects the relationship between Australia and the US. He explores how Australia has become a key player in maintaining American dominance in South East Asia, and looks critically at the contrast between the Australian wealth and the comparative poverty of surrounding nations. Examining the influence of neo-conservative imperialism on Australia's economic and military strategies, he draws some startling conclusions about future Australian relationships in East Asia, in particular, its relationship with China. Written with clarity, this is an ideal introduction to the subject for students of international studies.

Are oil-rich countries prone to war? And, if so, why? There is a widely held belief that contemporary wars are motivated by the desire of great powers like the United States or Russia to control precious oil resources and to ensure energy security.This book argues that the main reason why oil-rich countries are prone to war is because of the character of their society and economy. Sectarian groups compete for access to oil resources and finance their military adventures through smuggling oil, kidnapping oil executives, or blowing up pipelines. Outside intervention only makes things worse. The use of conventional military force as in Iraq can bring neither stability nor security of supply.This book examines the relationship between oil and war in six different regions: Angola, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Indonesia, Nigeria and Russia. Each country has substantial oil reserves, and has a long history of conflict. The contributors assess what part oil plays in causing, aggravating or mitigating war in each region and how this relation has altered with the changing nature of war. It offers a novel conceptual approach bringing together Kaldor's work on 'new wars' and Karl's work on the petro-state.

The Bloody Sunday Inquiry has been epic in its scale and implications. This is the story of how it came about and of the hopes and suspicions which surround it, told from a uniquely personal point of view. Twenty-one wounded survivors and relatives of the dead describe the campaign which led to the establishment of the Inquiry under Lord Saville. They reveal their bitterness at the 'whitewash' of the first inquiry under Lord Chief Justice Widgery, and describe the frustrations and elations of their long struggle to force the British Government to launch a new search for the truth. The relatives comment sharply on Saville's performance, and on the attitudes of British and Irish politicians, the media and an array of celebrity lawyers. They reflect on whether soldiers and leading politicians should now be prosecuted for murder, and discuss whether the outcome of the Inquiry is likely to hinder or enhance the peace process. Will the truth about Bloody Sunday raise more ghosts than it sets to rest? This is the story of the longest legal proceedings in British or Irish history in the raw words of those most intimately involved. What they have to say puts a new focus on the significance of State atrocities in shaping perceptions of the past and aspirations for the future in Ireland.

What is the purpose of the West Bank Wall? Since Israel began its construction in 2002, it has sparked intense debate, being condemned as illegal by the International Court of Justice. Israel claims it is a security measure to protect Israeli citizens from terrorist attacks. Opponents point to the serious impact on the rights of Palestinians, depriving them of their land, mobility and access to health and educational services. In The West Bank Wall, Dolphin explores the Palestinian experience of the Wall and places the debate in its international context. Dolphin's writing is informed by his work for the UN, where for three years he monitored and compiled reports on the Wall's impact on the humanitarian conditions in refugee camps, towns and villages. With an introduction by Graham Usher, who has worked as Palestine correspondent for major international publications including the Economist, Middle East International, al Ahram English Weekly, the Guardian and Le Monde Diplomatique, this book puts the purpose of the Wall to the test. What are the real intentions behind the Israeli security argument? Is it a means of securing territory permanently through an illegal annexation of East Jerusalem? Ray Dolphin provides some answers, offering a unique critical account of the impact of the wall and how it affects plans for a Palestinian state and for future peace in the Middle East.

The Zapatista Army for National Liberation burst onto the world stage on 1 January 1994. Zapatista commander Subcomandante Marcos announced a revolution, and declared war on the Mexican government and global capitalism. Since then, the Zapatistas have inspired thousands of activists across the world. They have attracted much attention from political theorists and analysts. Despite this, there is little consensus about the real nature and efficacy of the movement. Zapatistas provides a bold new approach to understanding the insurrection. Mentinis spent nine months visiting the Zapatista autonomous zone, and the result is this unique exploration of the indigenous political theory emerging within the movement. Combining this with an analysis of the integrity of the Zaptista project, Mentinis draws on the concept of the 'event' from Badiou, ideas from Situationism, the 'project of autonomy' of Cornelius Castoriadis and the 'constituent power' of Antonio Negri, to present a rigourous account of the movement and the impact it has had on radical political theory.

This work describes how slaves, mariners and merchants brought African music from Angola and the ports of East Africa to Latin America, and to Brazil in particular. The author examines how the rhythms and beats of Africa were combined with European popular music to create a unique sound.

This classic book explores the intellectual, political and social foundations of Islamism, and current Islamist groups across the Arab and Muslim worlds. Written by Egyptian philosopher and leading Arab intellectual, Fouad Zakariyya, and now available for the first time in English, this thoughtful book has no rival as a critical introduction to the nature of contemporary Islamism. The book was written in the aftermath of the assassination of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, and at the height of global debates about the relevance of Islamism in contemporary Muslim societies especially in the light of Iran's Islamic revolution in 1979. Zakariyya offers an important analysis of the multiple voices of current Islamism. He explores various recent attempts to construct an Islamic social and political order, presenting a sustained critique of modern ideological currents and theological worldviews. He delves into the sensitive question of Shari'ah, civil society and democracy in the Arab world. Ultimately, Zakariyya argues for a secular and democratic civil society that is unconstrained by past interpretations of the Shari'ah."

William S. Burroughs is one of America's most influential and widely studied writers. A leading member of the Beat movement, his books and essays continue to attract a wide readership. His films, paintings, recordings and other projects that grew out of his literary production, together with his iconic persona as a counter-culture (anti-)hero, mean his work has become a broad cultural phenomenon. This collection of essays by leading scholars offers an interdisciplinary consideration of Burroughs's art. It links his lived experience to his many major prose works written from 1953 on, as well his sound, cinema and media projects. Moving beyond the merely literary, the contributors argue for the continuing social and political relevance of Burroughs's work for the emerging global order. Themes include: Burroughs and contemporary theory; debates on 'reality'; violence; magic and mysticism; cybernetic cultures; language and technology; control and transformation; transgression and addiction; the limits of prose; image politics and the avant-garde.

There exists today a tragic rift between Americans and the world's Muslims. Each views the other with suspicion and anger. Yet in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, there was widespread sympathy for the U.S. in the great arc of Muslim nations from West Africa to Southeast Asia.This book explores what happened. It examines the disconnect that leads Americans and Muslims around the world to view the same words and images in fundamentally different ways. Partly a result of a centuries-old 'us' against 'them' dichotomy and an essential difference in worldview, the problem is exacerbated by an increasingly polarised media and by leaders on both sides who either don't understand or don't care what impact their words and policies have in the world at large. Journalist-scholar Lawrence Pintak, a former CBS News Middle East correspondent, argues that the Arab media revolution and the rise of "patriot-journalists" in the US marginalized voices of moderation, distorting perceptions on both sides of the divide with potentially disastrous results. Built on the author's extensive journalistic experience, the book is carefully grounded in contemporary academic scholarship -- including Orientalism, othering, worldview, media effects theory and framing theory, amongst others -- giving it broad appeal to policymakers, students of such fields as media studies, Middle East studies and Islamic studies, and general current affairs readers.Advance reviews: "Karen Hughes, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, should be the first person to read this book, distributing copies to her staff so they can also grasp the powerful message of this compelling and long-needed work ... Had this book been available and studied before our invasion of Iraq, perhaps no one in or out of the Administration would have believed it would be a short exercise."---Charles A. Krohn, Former Deputy Chief of Public Affairs, U.S. Army"... [A] provocative and sophisticated appraisal of the flawed lenses through which Americans view the Muslim world. Pintak cuts through the naiveté that infects the conventional wisdom about the relationship between the West and Islam. This fine book should stimulate some much-needed thinking about the dangers the U.S. public and policy makers face because of their simplistic worldview." ---Philip Seib, Lucius W. Nieman Professor of Journalism, Marquette University; author of Beyond the Front Lines: How the News Media Cover a World Shaped by War Lawrence Pintak is the director of the Adham Center for Electronic Journalism at the American University in Cairo and a veteran of 30 years in journalism. He has reported from four continents for many of the world's leading news organizations, served as a newspaper and Internet editor, and is a former visiting professor of journalism and public policy at the University of Michigan. Pintak covered the birth of modern Islamic terrorism as the CBS News Middle East correspondent in the 1980s, revisited in Seeds of Hate: How America's Middle East Policy Ignited the Jihad (Pluto Press, 2003). More recently, he has reported on Indonesia and the rise of political Islam for ABC News and The San Francisco Chronicle.

Since its release in 2009 Israeli Apartheid: A Beginner's Guide has become an essential primer for undergraduate students and activists getting to grips with the Palestine/Israel conflict for the first time. Ben White skilfully distills the work of academics and experts into a highly accessible introduction. This new updated and expanded edition includes information on the Israeli blockade and attacks on the Gaza Strip since 2008, new policies targeting Palestinian citizens of Israel and the growth of the global Boycott Divestment Sanctions campaign. Packed with vital information, quotations and resources, Israeli Apartheid never loses the human touch. The book is rooted in the author's extensive personal experience in Palestine and includes testimonies by Palestinians describing how Israeli apartheid affects their daily lives.

We live in a rapidly changing world. The collapse of the Cold War, the development of new technologies and the globalisation of the world economy have all had a dramatic impact on societies across the globe. Migration, new types of wars and changing borders mean that even the stability and security of nation-states has become a thing of the past. New nationalisms, new social movements and the resurgence of identity politics all indicate that we are entering a new era where the very notion of collective identity -- through nation states or through transnational identity culture -- is challenged.This volume examines concepts of collective identity, how they are changing and what this means for our future. With contributions from distinguished sociologists including Jenkins, Eisenstadt, Rex, Bauman and Hall, it gives a radical new overview of collectivity theory -- a topic that lies at the heart of sociology, anthropology and political science.

An immense amount of media space has been devoted to the catastrophic terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. George Bush was quick to declare a 'war on terrorism' that may engulf many countries in addition to Afghanistan. But what does this say about Western perceptions of violence -- what does 'war on terrorism' mean?This book does not attempt to explain the momentous events of September 11th 2001. Instead it attempts to sharpen our understanding of what phrases such as 'international terrorism' and 'the war against terror' have come to mean since that date. Taking on the issues from a philosophical standpoint, Gupta observes that it has long been difficult to define what constitutes a 'terrorist act'. He explains how the events of last year have jolted even existing understandings in unexpected ways and, importantly, why this difficulty of definition persists. Examining how acts of terrorism and counter-terrorist measures are portrayed in the Western media and the impact this has on public perception, this thoughtful and provocative account provides a refreshing counterpoint to the sensationalised and often over-simplified reporting in the mainstream media.

Russia has one of the lowest rates of adult life expectancy in the world. Average life expectancy for a man in America is 74; in Russia, it is just 59. Birth rates and population levels have also plummeted. These excess levels of mortality affect all countries that formed the former Soviet bloc. Running into many millions, they raise obvious comparisons with the earlier period of forced transition under Stalin. This book seeks to put the recent history of the transition into a longer-term perspective by identifying, explaining and comparing the pattern of change in Russia in the last century. It offers a sharp challenge to the conventional wisdom and benign interpretations offered in the west of what has happened since 1991. Through a careful survey of the available primary and secondary sources, Mike Haynes and Rumy Husan have produced the first and most complete and accurate account of Russian demographic crisis from the Revolution to the present.

Katharine Rankin here offers a critique of neo-liberal ideology, showing how global capital impacts on local culture, local economies, and local social structures. Using the macroeconomic restructuring of Nepal as a case study, she reveals that the local-global interface is an interactive continuum.

The Business of America examines the complex linking of business and nationhood in post-war United States literature against the backdrop of changing concepts of the nation in the field of American Studies. The first part of the book examines how white male literary culture has been largely hostile to business during this period and how it has represented transnational shifts in the nature of business as threats to supposedly American values like the individual, the family, or freedom. The book charts the way that such an uneasiness towards business relies upon a discourse about America, business and empire that is increasingly untenable in the post-war world. By way of comparison, The Business of America looks at how literature by women and by writers from different racial, ethnic and sexual groups often deals with business from the more localised angle of work. Graham Thompson shows how this attention to work provides a less abstract and more oppositional approach to the connection between business and America.

Language Wars is a fascinating account of the relationship between the media, culture and new forms of global, political violence. Using an innovative approach, Jeff Lewis shows how language and the media are implicated in global terrorism and the US-led reprisals in the war on terror. Through an examination of the language of terrorism and war, Lewis illuminates key events in the current wave of political violence---the 9/11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, the Beslan siege, the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bali bombings and the ongoing occupation in the Middle East. He argues that the language used to report incidents of violence has changed, not just in official channels but in wider cultural contexts, and shows the impact this has on social perceptions. Lewis deconstructs these new discourses to reveal how Islam has been construed as the antagonist of freedom, democracy and the rule of law. Ideal for students of media studies and cultural studies, this is a subtle account of the relation between language and culture that exposes a dangerous new east-west divide in popular discourse.

"Guardians of Power ought to be required reading in every media college. It is the most important book about journalism I can remember." - John Pilger "Regular critical analysis of the media, filling crucial gaps and correcting the distortions of ideological prisms, has never been more important. Media Lens has performed a major public service by carrying out this task with energy, insight, and care." - Noam Chomsky "Media Lens is doing an outstanding job of pressing the mainstream media to at least follow their own stated principles and meet their public service obligations. [This is] fun as well as enlightening." - Edward S. Herman Can a corporate media system be expected to tell the truth about a world dominated by corporations? Can newspapers, including the 'liberal' Guardian and the Independent, tell the truth about catastrophic climate change -- about its roots in mass consumerism and corporate obstructionism -- when they are themselves profit-oriented businesses dependent on advertisers for 75% of their revenues? Can the BBC tell the truth about UK government crimes in Iraq when its senior managers are appointed by the government? Has anything fundamentally changed since BBC founder Lord Reith wrote of the establishment: "They know they can trust us not to be really impartial"? Why did the British and American mass media fail to challenge even the most obvious government lies on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction before the invasion in March 2003? Why did the media ignore the claims of UN weapons inspectors that Iraq had been 90-95% "fundamentally disarmed" as early as 1998? This book answers these questions, and more. Since July 2001, Media Lens has encouraged thousands of readers to email senior editors and journalists, challenging them to account for their distorted reporting on Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Haiti, East Timor, climate change, Western crimes in Central America, and much more. The responses -- often surprising, sometimes outrageous -- reveal the arrogance, unaccountability and servility to power of even our most respected media.

***Winner of the Eileen Basker Prize and the Wellcome Medal for Anthropology as Applied to Medical Problems.*** On the Game is an ethnographic account of prostitutes and prostitution. Sophie Day has followed the lives of individual women over fifteen years, and her book details their attempts to manage their lives against a backdrop of social disapproval. The period was one of substantial change within the sex industry.Through the lens of public health, economics, criminalisation and human rights, Day explores how individual sex workers live, in public and in private. This offers a unique perspective on contemporary capitalist society that will be of interest both to a broad range of social scientists.The author brings a unique perspective to her work -- as both an anthropologist and the founder of the renowned Praed Street Project, set up in 1986, as a referral and support centre for London prostitutes.

Hizbu'llah is the largest and most prominent political party in Lebanon, and one of the most renowned Islamist movements in the world. In this book, Amal Saad-Ghorayeb examines the organisation's understanding of jihad and how this, together with its belief in martyrdom, brought about the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Lebanon in May 2000. Saad-Ghorayeb explores the nature of the party's struggle against the West by studying its views on the use of violence against Westerners. Crucially, she also addresses the question of whether Hizbu'llah depicts this struggle in purely political or civilisational terms. The existential nature of the movement's conflict with Israel is analysed and the Islamic roots of its anti-Judaism is unearthed. The author explores the mechanics and rationale behind the party's integration into the Lebanese political system, and sheds light on how it has reconciled its national idenitity with its solidarity with the Muslim umma.

Robert Albritton brings to life the classic concepts in Marx's economic thought. As well as examining these essential points of Marxist theory, he shows that they offer great potential for further study. Deeply critical of the way economics is taught and studied today, this is a textbook that will appeal to anyone who wants a forward-thinking approach to the discipline that's free from the constraints of neo-classical orthodoxy. Taking up key aspects of Marx's work, including surplus value theory, dialectical reasoning and the commodity form, Albritton highlights their relevance in the modern world -- and explains why mainstream economics has been so blind to their revolutionary potential. Written with style and clarity, it is perfect for economics undergraduates.

Brazil owes almost $250 billion to private banks, governments and multilateral agencies. External Debt provides a concise history of Brazil's financial crisis. Marcos Arruda focuses on the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso and its agreement with the International Monetary Fund. He examines how Cardoso's economic policies have brought Brazil to financial ruin by submitting to the dictates of the IMF and the US government. Despite this, the author argues, Brazilians are neither passive nor resigned to Cardoso's policies. Arruda describes the viable alternatives which the government and opposition parties have both failed to realise, and examines a range of related key issues, such as the Jubilee 2000 Debt Campaign and its Brazilian dimension.Arruda explores the ways in which social movements in both hemispheres have developed a global network around the issue of over-indebtedness, and the extent to which their pressure on authorities has led to important policy changes on the part of creditor governments and multilateral institutions. The study concludes with an assessment of a range of proposals submitted by national and international forums, demonstrating that civil society around the world is mobilised towards equitable relations between North and South.

Millions of dollars are spent every year by companies and special interest groups attempting to influence government policy. They work behind the scenes, lobbying politicians to represent their interests. From tobacco companies, to energy companies, from anti-abortion campaigners to civil rights campaigners, the list is vast. And nowhere is their influence more keenly felt than on the issue of the Middle East. Israel is America's key ally in the Middle East, and helps maintain US dominance in the region. This book shows how pro-Israeli lobbyists and domestic interest groups have been hugely successful in creating government and financial support for Israel. By contrast, Arab-American groups and Arab governments have had less success putting forward their agendas. Janice J. Terry shows how special interest groups work, and why certain lobbying techniques are more effective than others. She sets this within the wider cultural context, showing how the US media -- and the general public -- view the Middle East. To explain how lobbies work, Terry draws on case studies including the Sinai accords and Camp David under Presidents Ford and Carter, the Conflict between Greek and Turkish lobbies over Cyprus, and the major campaign against the Arab boycott. Making use of primary sources, and unpublished material from various presidential libraries, this is a fascinating expose of the role that lobby groups really play in determining US foreign policy in the Middle East. It will be of interest to students of American politics, and Middle East studies.

Jacques Derrida has had a huge influence on contemporary political theory and political philosophy. Derrida's thinking has inspired Slavoj Zizek, Richard Rorty, Ernesto Laclau, Judith Butler and many more contemporary theorists. This book brings together a first class line up of Derrida scholars to develop a deconstructive approach to politics. Deconstruction examines the internal logic of any given text or discourse. It helps us analyse the contradictions inherent in all schools of thought, and as such it has proved revolutionary in political analysis, particularly ideology critique. This book is ideal for all students of political theory, and anyone looking for an accessible guide to Derrida's thinking and how it can be used as a radical tool for political analysis.

Ordering the International is a new textbook which teaches the core themes of International Studies in an innovative way. It asks: - Can we analyse international order as a whole, and if so, how?- How can we best understand and explain the processes of international interaction and the kinds of order and disorder with which they are associated?- Is the contemporary international system changing and, if so, by whose agency?Ideal for students in International Studies, the book analyses the historical origins, evolution and transformation of three sectors of the modern international system: the political, the socio-cultural, and the economic-technological. Drawing on a combination of approaches and debates, it concludes by discussing theories of international order and contending claims about its transformation. Ordering the International will provide you with the knowledge and skills to understand, and participate in, key debates about the world in which we live.

In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush and his administration offered a 'political fundamentalism' that capitalized upon the fear felt by many Americans. Political fundamentalism is the adaptation of a conservative religious worldview, via strategic language choices and communication approaches, into a policy agenda that feels political rather than religious. These communications dominated public discourse and public opinion for months on end and came at a significant cost for democracy.In particular, the administration closed off a substantive societal - and international - conversation about the meaning of the terrorist attacks and the direction of the nation by consistently: - showing antipathy toward complex conceptions of reality;- framing calls for immediate action on administration policies as part of the nation's 'calling' and 'mission' against terrorism;- issuing declarations about the will of God for America and the values of freedom and liberty; - and demonstrating an intolerance for dissent. The administration had help spreading its messages. The mainstream press consistently echoed the administration's communications - thereby disseminating, reinforcing and embedding the administration's fundamentalist worldview and helping to keep at bay Congress and any substantive public questioning. This book analyzes hundreds of administration communications and news stories from September 2001 to Iraq in spring 2003 to examine how this occurred and what it means for U.S. politics and the global landscape.

In 1997, many countries came together to pledge $500 million over five years to 'mine action' programmes to tackle the destruction caused by landmines. This book explores how effectively that money has been spent. Is the world a safer place as a result of the ban? Has international mine action been a success? What lessons have been learnt along the way? What are the challenges for the future? In short, what is the true extent of Princess Diana's legacy?Stuart Maslen assesses the effectiveness of mine awareness, mine clearance operations, victim assistance, international law and stockpile destruction. He outlines the global threat that mines present and the evolution of the mine action programme worldwide.