xii, 324 p. ill. (some col.), maps (chiefly col.) 27 cm.
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 321) and index.
Global concerns -- Weapons of mass destruction -- The U.S.A: the only superpower -- End of empire: the collapse of the Soviet Union -- Europe: between unification and fragmentation -- The Balkans: exchanging communism for nationalism -- The crescent of crisis -- The Middle East: the world's most volatile region -- North Africa: a threatening coastline -- The Middle East-African interface -- Sub-Saharan Africa: the impoverished continent -- South Asia: with nuclear weapons in the open -- East and South-East Asia -- Latin America: outside the mainstream -- Space: the new battlefield.