Books in the Contemporary Worlds series

A close account of the famous 'Nordic' or 'Scandinavian' model of politics and policy, which emphasizes consensus and compromise over the opposition and fault-finding found in most Western political systems.

Baltic Facades presents a new history of the Baltic area, one that dispels the myth of a single, coherent regional identity. Aldis Purs describes the unique character of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, whilst also examining the anxiety that these peoples feel about how others perceive them.

Taking the triumph of consumerism as an organizing theme, the author charts the rise and fall of the Conservative Party, developments in British society, culture and politics, environmental issues, questions of identity, and changes in economic circumstance and direction.

The recent retirement of Fidel Castro turned the world's attention towards the island nation of Cuba and the question of what its future holds. Amid the talk and hypothesizing, it is worth taking a moment to consider how Cuba reached this point. The author provides this with his incisive history of Cuba since 1959.

Examines the history of military aerospace power, discussing technical developments between both World Wars and the use of air power in specific wars in the latter part of the twentieth century, including the recent conflict with Iraq. This book analyses the military and civil applications of airpower in the contemporary world.