Historical Dictionaries of International Organizations Series
Editor(s): Jon Woronoff
"There is a lot to like about Scarecrow’s various Historical Dictionaries series. " —Booklist



International organizations, regional and global, have become so much a part of our world that we can no longer understand that world without knowing something about these organizations. They intervene in all facets of life, from education (UNESCO), to health (WHO), to peacekeeping. They bring together, in a still relatively unstructured manner, countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, and they bind those in Europe much more closely. The United Nations, too, looks more and more like a future world government. While we might not agree with the actions of these organizations, it is impossible to ignore them.

The purpose of the volumes in this series is to provide an accessible reference source that explains the international organizations, how they work, and how they sometimes fail to react. They provide dictionary entries on important persons, places and events, institutions, conferences and resolutions, issues, activities, and policies. The general scope is explained in an introduction, the progression is traced in a chronology, and further sources of reading are listed in the bibliography. The reader is allowed to draw any conclusions.

This series is useful for personnel in the organization, who may not be aware of all the ramifications or who just want to find their way around, and is even more useful for delegates and observers who must deal with an organization. Teachers, students, and journalists, as well as the general public can also gain by having more specific information, because it is increasingly difficult to understand the events occurring in Europe, for example, without referring to the European Union, or in the world more broadly, without considering the United Nations. Written either by specialized academics or former staff members, these authors offer deep insight on these organizations.