Politics Junior Paper Workshops

Resources for JP #13: International Conflict & Negotiation

In addition to using keywords to search the Main Catalog, you should also try a subject heading approach. Use the name of the country you are researching as a subject heading in the Basic Search. For example, type Hong Kong and select Subject Heading from the pull-down menu. The resulting list of subject headings will help to outline the kinds of material held in Princeton's collection that relate to Hong Kong. Click on a subject heading to see a list of titles that deal with that topic.

Remember that traveling down the list of headings will take you to subjects that are further sub-divided and, therefore, more specific. Traveling up the list gets you subjects that are more general. Here are some sub-headings that should be useful:

• [Country Name] History
• [Country Name] Politics and government
• [Country Name] Foreign relations
• [Country Name] Economic conditions
• [Country Name] Social conditions

Pay special attention to items listed under the sub-headings History, Politics and government, and Foreign relations as these items will deal with the political development of the country and its relations with other countries. Also, be aware that subject headings are often sub-divided by time periods, which can help you focus on works that deal specifically with certain events and key moments in a country's history (i.e. Hong Kong (China) Politics and government 1997- ).

Helpful Tip: The sub-heading Bibliography can often be useful for locating compiled bibliographies on the country you are researching, which will often lead you to additional sources. Try using the Guided Search feature to do a keyword search on the name of your country plus the term "bibliography" limited to the subject field.
 

In addition to the main Politics databases we've already discussed, there are several other databases that are useful for locating journal articles, book chapters, working papers, etc., including the following:

• America: History & Life (PU only)
  Indexes books and journal articles on the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Covers works published 1954-present. This resource can be useful for finding articles that discuss U.S. relations with, and influences on the countries in question.
   
• CIAO - Columbia International Affairs Online (PU only)
  CIAO publishes online a wide range of scholarship from 1991 onward that includes working papers from university research institutes, NGO occasional papers, foundation-funded research projects, conference proceedings, books, journals, and policy briefs.
   
• Historical Abstracts (PU only)
  This database has long been recognized as the leading bibliography providing unmatched coverage of world history (excluding North America) dealing with time periods from 1450 to the present. It covers approximately 2,000 journals, as well as books and dissertations published worldwide since the mid 1950s in history and related areas, including anthropology, genealogy, multicultural studies, political science, and sociology.
   
• Index Islamicus (PU only)
  Produced by the Islamic Bibliography Unit at Cambridge University Library, this database indexes literature on Islam, the Middle East and the Muslim world from a variety of disciplines, including accounting, archaeology, the arts, economics, education, geography, history, Islam, law, literature, science, philosophy, politics, religion, theology, travel, and zoology. Records included in the database go back to 1906.
   
• Jane's Online (PU only)
  Founded in 1898, Jane's Information Group provides a host of information products and consultancy services including technical and market information on military, law enforcement, and transportation equipment; country-by-country threat assessments; and news analysis. When using Jane's, the easiest approach is to go directly to the sources Princeton subscribes to by clicking on the My Account button. Princeton subscribes only to the following Jane's Online products:
  All the World's Aircraft
  Armour & Artillery
  Fighting Ships
  World Defence Industry
  Defense Magazine Library
  IntelWeb
   
• Peace Research Abstracts Journal.
  Publisher: Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Bimonthly.
  Location: Pitney Collection (PITN)
  Call Number: 576.7033
  Library Has: 1964-present
  Current Volume: Current Periodicals Reading Room (PR)
  This is not an online database, but a relevant index for the topic of international conflict resolution published six times a year by the Peace Research Institute- Dundas (in Ontario, Canada). It provides indexing and abstracts for books, journal articles, government publications, scholarly papers, major speeches and research studies concerning peace studies and international relations. Each issue has an author and subject index, and the last issue of each year has an annual cumulative index.
   
• Policyfile (PU only)
  Provides indexing and abstracts of research publications addressing the complete range of public policy research. PolicyFile draws its content from public policy think tanks, university research programs, research organizations, and trade publishers. The database consists of over 50,000 abstracts dating from 1990 to present, with some full-text where available and links to organizational home pages.
   
• Social Sciences Citation Index (PU only)
  Multidisciplinary index to the journal literature of the social sciences. Indexes more than 1,725 journals across 50 social sciences disciplines. Useful for cited reference searches. Covers works published 1956-present.
   
• Sociological Abstracts (PU only)
  Indexing and abstracting of the world's literature in sociology and related disciplines, both theoretical and applied. Covers 2,500 journals, conference papers, dissertations, and book reviews. Includes materials in 30 languages and covers works published 1963-present. This resource may help you to locate articles on the social aspects of democratic development in various countries.
   
• StratFor (PU only)
  Founded in 1996, StratFor (short for “Strategic Forecasting”) provides up-to-date geopolitical analysis and forecasts focused on international political, economic, and security issues.
   

I generally advise students to let secondary sources lead you to primary sources. Attempting to search through primary sources for particular topics can often prove more burdensome than you might think. It is usually easier to try to locate a specific document that was referenced in a journal article or book.

To get a sense of what primary sources we have in the Princeton collection, try using the the sub-heading Sources in a subject search of the Main Catalog: use the Guided Search feature to do a keyword search on the name of the country you are researching plus the term "sources" limited to the subject field. Many of the primary documents in our collections are available on microfilm. For more information, see the Guide to Major Microform Holdings in History. Below are a few tools that can help you locate primary documents. For additional assistance in locating primary sources, be sure to contact me or one of the other librarians.

• AccessUN (PU only)
  Comprehensive commercial index to United Nations parliamentary and working documents, and monographic publications and serial titles. Many of the documents listed here are available on microfiche and other formats, check with me for more help.
   
• British Parliamentary Papers: Legal Perspective
  A helpful research guide for using British Parliamentary papers with a legal perspective, written by our former Law Librarian Duncan Alford. For more help with legal research, be sure to consult our current Law Librarian- Naz Pantaloni.
   
• European Union Documents Research Guide
  A comprehensive guide to finding EU documents written by our former European Union Documents Librarian Duncan Alford. For more help with EU documents, be sure to consult our current EU Librarian- Naz Pantaloni.
   
• Lexis Nexis Congressional (PU only)
  A web-based indexing and abstracting service for Congressional publications including hearings, committee prints, reports, House and Senate documents, and public laws. It includes the full text and status of recent bills, selected testimony, regulations, and full-text access to the Congressional Record. L-N Congressional contains a web equivalent to the print CIS Index located in the SSRC and provides indexing for the corresponding CIS microfiche sets located on Level C in Firestone.
   
• U.S. Department of State
  URL: http://www.state.gov
  The State Dept. website can be a good source for press releases concerning recent events in U.S. foreign relations.
   

For additional resources, be sure to consult the Newspaper Indexes page.

Contemporary News (mid-1980s to present):

• Lexis Nexis Academic (PU only)
  Provides full text access to news from across the U.S. and around the world. Coverage of most newspapers goes back to the mid 1980s, but varies widely. Also provides access to business, legal, and medical journals, as well as corporate financial information.
   
• Factiva (PU only)
  Database from Dow Jones & Reuters that provides full text access to various newspapers and news wire services.
   
• ProQuest Newspapers (PU only)
  Provides indexing and full text of the Wall Street Journal (1984- ) and the New York Times (1995- ) and abstracts only of USA Today (1989- ).
   

Historical News (back to mid-1800s):

• Historical New York Times (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) (PU only)
  Provides retrospective coverage of the New York Times going back to the first issue (1851-2001) in full text. Search by keywords and date.
   
• Historical Wall Street Journal (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) (PU only)
  Provides retrospective coverage of the Wall Street Journal going back to the first issue (1889-1986) in full text. Search by keywords and date.
   
• Historical Washington Post (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) (PU only)
  Provides retrospective coverage of the Washington Post going back to the first issue (1877-1987) in full text. Search by keywords and date.
   
• Reader's Guide Retrospective (PU only)
  This retrospective online version of the ever-popular Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature contains comprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the U.S. between the years 1890-1982.
   

Foreign News (1975-present):

• Foreign Broadcast Information Service Electronic Index (PU only)
  Provides indexing to the Daily Reports of the CIA's Foreign Broadcast Information Service. These reports include translated broadcasts, news agency transmissions, newspapers, periodicals, and government statements from nations around the world. Search by keyword, region and date.
  Note: This index only covers reports from 1975-1996, which are mostly available in microfiche with some in paper. Ask for help locating these reports at the Social Science Reference Center. For earlier material, contact me. For more recent material, see the World News Connection below.
   
• World News Connection (PU only)
  Continues coverage of the FBIS reports mentioned above from 1996 to present, and with full text. The search functions are similar (by keyword, region, and date) with a "latest headlines" feature for monitoring current news.
   

• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
  URL: http://www.ceip.org
  Founded in 1910, this private, nonprofit organization is dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States.
   
• Center for Strategic and International Studies
  URL: http://www.csis.org
  For four decades, CSIS has been dedicated to providing world leaders with strategic insights on, and policy solutions to current and emerging global issues. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the center's staff of 190 researchers focus primarily on three areas: the spectrum of new challenges to national and international security, monitoring of all of the world's major geographical regions, and development of new methods of governance for the global age. CSIS has programs on technology and public policy, international trade and finance, and energy.
   
• Council on Foreign Relations
  URL: http://www.cfr.org
  Founded in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is a non-profit and nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to improving the understanding of U.S. foreign policy and international affairs through the free exchange of ideas. The Council's website is a good source for current issues in international affiars.
   
• International Crisis Group
  URL: http://www.icg.org/home/index.cfm
  Established in 1995, the ICG is an independent, non-profit, multinational organization working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict. Their website can be a good source for recent information on conflicts worldwide.
   
• Institute for Defense & Disarmament Studies
  URL: http://www.idds.org
  Founded in 1980, IDDS is a nonprofit think tank for research and education on ways to reduce the risk of war, minimize the burden of military spending, and promote democratic institutions. IDDS staff members study the global policies and programs needed to make organized armed violence rare and brief.
   
• International Institute for Strategic Studies
  URL: http://www.iiss.org
  Based in London, the IISS is the world’s leading authority on political-military conflict. It was founded in 1958 by individuals interested in how to maintain civilized international relations in the nuclear age. Today, the IISS is the primary source of accurate and objective information on international strategic issues for politicians and diplomats, foreign affairs analysts, international businesses, economists, the military, defense commentators, journalists, academics, and the informed public.
   
• Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
  URL: http://www.osce.org
  Established in 1973, the OSCE is headquartered in Vienna and made up of 55 participating states from Europe, Central Asia and North America. It is active in early warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict rehabilitation.
   
• RAND Corporation
  URL: http://www.rand.org
  RAND is a nonprofit public policy research institution established after World War II to study national security. Current areas of research and analysis include national defense, education and training, health care, criminal and civil justice, labor and population, science and technology, community development, international relations and regional studies. See the RAND Publications Research Guide for more help in locating RAND publications. See also the section on National Security and Terrorism.
   
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
  URL: http://www.sipri.org
  Established in 1966, SIPRI has built its reputation by collecting and providing impartial information on weapon developments, arms transfers and production, military expenditure, arms reduction, and disarmament throughout the world. SIPRI conducts scientific research on the questions of conflict and cooperation with the aim of contributing to the understanding of conditions for peaceful solution to international conflicts.
   
• U.S. Army War College - Strategic Studies Institute
  URL: http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ssi
  The SSI is the U.S. Army's institute for geostrategic and national security research and analysis. Its primary function is to provide direct analysis for Army and Department of Defense leadership, and serve as a bridge to the wider strategic community.
   
• United States Institute of Peace
  URL: http://www.usip.org
  Established in 1984, the United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan federal institution created and funded by Congress to strengthen the nation's capacity to promote the peaceful resolution of international conflict through an array of programs, including grants, fellowships, conferences and workshops, library services, publications, and other educational activities.
   

URL: http://firestone.princeton.edu/politics/guides/negotiation.html
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jhernand@princeton.edu