untangling_the_web

DID: 4046925
UNCLASSIFIEDhTOR OFFICIAL I:JSE ONLY
Library of Congress Country Studies
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
The Library of Congress website "contains online versions of books previously
published in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress
under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the US
Department of the Army. Because the original intent of the Series' sponsor was to
focus primarily on lesser known areas of the world or regions in which US forces
might be deployed, the series is not all-inclusive. At present, 101 countries and
regions are covered. Notable omissions include Canada, France, the United
Kingdom, and other Western nations, as well as a number of African nations. The
date of information for each country appears on the title page of each country and at
the end of each section of text." Each country study presents historical, political,
economic, social, and military analyses and descriptions. Users may search across
all countries or any combination of countries or browse an alphabetical list of
countries.
The Economist Country Briefings
http://www.economist.com/countries/
The Economist is a well-respected publication that has made a huge contribution to
the Internet with its website. Specifically, the Economist Intelligence Unit has a
resource known as "Country Briefings" that looks at about 60 countries and provides
superb profiles, forecasts, statistics, and more about each. All the content at the site
is original with the Economist and not merely a compilation of information from other
sources. Some of the material is "premium content," meaning users must pay to
view it. However, there is more than enough free information to make the site very
valuable.
BBC Country Profiles
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/country profiles/
Similar to its counterparts at the Library of Congress and The Economist, the BBC
offers Country Profiles at its website. The profiles not only include information on the
history, politics, and economy of most of the world's nations, they also offer audio
and video clips from the BBC's extensive archives. The main Country Profiles' page
presents six drop-down menus for world regions with countries in each region listed
alphabetically and one menu for International Organizations. Once users select a
specific country to profile, they are offered an overview, a set of basic facts,
information on current leadership, and details about the country's media. The BBC
profiles are not quite as detailed as those from the Library of Congress or The
Economist, but the BBC does provide a very good and user-friendly overview of
most nations.
Northwestern University Library Foreign Governments
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/resource/internat/foreign.html
Northwestern University Library International Governmental Organizations
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/govpub/resource/internatligo.html
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO)
http://www.unpo.org/
414 UNCLASSIFIEDHFOR OFFICIAL I:JSE ONLY