Typical questions

• • Has the number of terrorist attacks increased since 2005?

• • Where can I get data by country on chemical weapons?

Starting points

• • The study of international security includes analysis of the sources, conduct and termination of conflicts. It is therefore closely related to International Relations, Political Science and Foreign policy and students will benefit from consulting these sections of the book. This chapter focuses upon recent events. Sources for historic conflicts can be found in the History chapter.

• • Common queries relate to data on current crises. Students should be made aware that some materials relating to terrorism may be classified and therefore unavailable to the public. This section highlights well-regarded academic sources. They are general in nature. Further regional sources may be traced using the sources in the area studies chapters and the Statistical Data chapter. Sources in the Country Information chapter also contain basic background on the current political situation and assessments of risk.

Recommended resources

Key organisations

Remember to check those listed in the International Relations chapter. Also explore the online websites of departments of defence for military policy.

NATO

www.nato.int

North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an intergovernmental military alliance of nations in North America and Europe. Its website has a library containing the full text of all treaties and ministerial communiques issued since its formation in 1949. It also provides free access to news stories, information about NATO missions, multimedia materials and research guides.

United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

www.un.org/disarmament

Promotes worldwide non-proliferation and disarmament in terms of nuclear weapons, conventional weapons, chemical weapons, mines and small arms. Website is a key site for information on these topics. It includes news, details of programmes and a database of disarmament treaties.

United Nations Peacekeeping

peacekeeping.un.org

Provides access to news, reports and open data on all current and past peacekeeping missions involving the UN. Includes statistics on costs, deployment, personnel and fatalities.

Study guides

UCDP Conflict Encyclopedia

pcr.uu.se/research/ucdp/ucdp-conflict-encyclopedia

The Uppsala Conflict Data Program offers free access to this searchable database with detailed descriptions of armed conflicts, peace agreements, state and non-state violence covering over 40 years. Users can access country files, visualise the data and download.

Journal articles

Air University Library Index to Military Periodicals

fairchild-mil.libguides.com/AULIMP

Free access to this subject index to English language journal articles and news items from over 60 journals published since 1987.