This chapter deals with different types of agents in the international sphere. We have focused on providing some links to the other players and the issues raised by those other players in the sectional links below.
Separatism, regionalism, and irredentism all describe different degrees of separation and exclusion, either forced or by choice. Rwanda, the disintegration of Yugoslavia, or the dismemberment of the Soviet Union are what most people talk about. But there are a variety of other conflicts that resemble these but get less attention. For example, Quebec and the Kurdish question are less well-known but equally volatile. Other examples include Chiapas, Eritrea, and. Nigeria..
While one example from the Soviet disintegration is in Kazakhstan, where more than half of the population is Russian. The ``near abroad'' and the respective treatment of Russian is one of the cornerstones of New Russian foreign policy.
A meta-page for Ethnic Conflict and Conflict Resolution has been assembled by the United Nations University.
Religion is another divisive and important issue. The issue of national sovereignty, with the local ruler determining religious policy is one of the outcomes from the Thirty Years' War. The resulting Treaty of Westphalia addresses this issue and marked the beginning of the nation-state system as we know it. Another step towards the development of the nation-state came in the The Peace of Augsburg. It does not appear that Metternich had a home page.
There are many legal cases on sovereignty. The Fletcher School at Tufts University has a wide array of legal documents. Click here for one example.
From a treatise on tax evasion we find a very legalist discussion of sovereignty with appropriate legal references, while a collection concerning sovereignty and the Oneida Nation might be of interest.
Israel is one country with a clear security dilemma. Some overtly pro-Israel information can be contrasted with a more balanced approach from Tel Aviv University's Jaffee Center.
The The United Nations Home Page. may be of considerable interest in regards to collective security.
A link to UNPROFOR addresses the composition and mission of one specific peacekeeping operation.
Some general IGO links are found at: World Bank For statistics on OECD countries
Via the SACLANT Webserver one can find links to NATO and CSCE websites and gophersites.
The World Health Organization also maintains a server.
One place for information on the European Union is a comprehensive set of links at Duke University.
Multinationals can probably do their own advertising, but most of the Fortune 100 corporations keep fairly interesting homepages, accessible through the www.XXX.com structure, where xxx is the name of the company.