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Foreign Policy

Selected government and non-government sources relevant to foreign policy and international relations are described. Consult the following for additional information.

Portals

CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online)
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/ciao.html
Includes policy briefs, publications of non-governmental organizations and think-tanks, and country data from a variety of government sources.

Diplomacy Monitor (St. Thomas University School of Law)
http://www.diplomacymonitor.com/stu/dm.nsf/opener!OpenForm
Tracks and compiles in one place official statements, press briefings and news releases, interviews, and position papers pertaining to diplomacy from hundreds of Web sources.  Data includes English translations of non-English materials.  Retrieve information by regions; by individual nations; by interactions between 2 nations; and by issues.  The search engine limits queries to materials added to the system within the past 90 days.

United States Foreign Policy (University of Michigan. Library Documents Center)
http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/forpol.html
A comprehensive view of foreign policy resources that include background information, references books, news sources, and journal indexes. The section on international sources deals with foreign governments; military agencies; peace groups; and treaties. The section covering the U.S. includes archives; bibliographies; Congress; intelligence agencies; the State Department; and the UN mission.

WWW Virtual Library: International Affairs Resources (Wayne A. Selcher, Professor of International Studies, Department of Political Science, Elizabethtown College)
http://www2.etown.edu/vl/
A comprehensive guide that covers news sources, international governmental organizations, nongovernmental groups, regions, and selected topics.  Subjects include conflict resolution; environment; human rights; humanitarian issues; international business; international development; international law; labor; and religions.

Article Indexes

Index to Military Periodicals (U.S. Department of Defense. Defense Technical Information Center. Air University Library)
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/aulimp/
Indexes English language journals about military science. Many articles have foreign policy implications.

PAIS International Online (Public Affairs Information Service)
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/pais.html
Indexes books, articles, government publications, gray literature, research and conference reports, international agency publications, and internet resources covering all aspects of public affairs. Dates range from 1915 through the present.

News

Current International Newspapers
The following links to current international newspapers published throughout the world.

Diplomacy Monitor

Factiva (Dow Jones)
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/factiva.html
Indexes and provides full text of almost 8,000 newspapers, articles, and news wires published throughout the world. Search the entire database, or select specific sources, industries, or regions. Dates vary depending upon the source.

New York Times
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/nytimes.html
View full texts of articles published since June 1980. See also:

  • New York Times Archive
    http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nytimes/advancedsearch.html
    Indexes articles in the New York Times from 1851-1980. The newspaper sells copies, but library users are advised to use microfilm for no charge in the Capen Multimedia Center (MicFilm AN256 .N52).

  • New York Times: Historical Index
    http://historynews.chadwyck.com/noframesny/search/
    Provides limited coverage from 1863 to 1905, and 1913 to September 1922.

  • New York Times Index
    Lockwood Reference Index Area AI21 .N44 (1851+)

  • Personal Name Index to "The New York Times Index"
    Lockwood Reference: CT104 .F28 (1851-1984)

Washington Post
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/washpost.html
Provides online access from 1977 to data. See also:

World News Connection (Dialog)
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/e-resources/wnc.html
Translates foreign media and broadcasts from throughout the world into English.  Dates cover 1996 through the present.

U.S. Foreign Policy

Congressional Hearings
Congressional hearings are forums held by Congressional committees where invited experts provide testimony to the committees, and committee members afterwards question the witnesses. Hearings cover all aspects of U.S. foreign policy and national security. The following selected sources are good starting points for locating hearings:

Declassified Documents and Other Sources for Secrets (Michigan State University Libraries)
http://www.lib.msu.edu/foxre/declass.html
Summarizes the U.S. system for declassifying documents, and provides selected to access these resources.  Many declassified materials pertain to foreign affairs.

Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy (Facts on File) 
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/eBooks?ste=22&docNum=CX3402399999
Lockwood Reference E183.7 .H28 2004  
Lockwood Reference E183.7 .E52 2002  

FirstGov: Defense and International Relations (U.S. General Services Administration)
http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/Defense.shtml
FirstGov is the federal government's attempt to create a one-stop shopping mall for all its information. Topics cover agencies and organizations; countries and regions; the State Department and Foreign Service; immigration and citizenship; foreign trade; international travel; and defense.

Foreign Affairs of the United States (U.S. Government Printing Office in cooperation with Oklahoma State University)
http://www.library.okstate.edu/govdocs/browsetopics/foreigna.html
Lists and describes key U.S. government resources.

Foreign Relations of the United States (U.S. Department of State. Office of the Historian)
http://www.state.gov/www/about_state/history/frus.html (1945+)
Lockwood Book Collection JX233 .A3 (1932-1954)
Lockwood Documents US S 1.1: (1945-1976)
Capen Multimedia Center US MicFiche S 1.1 (1952-1968)
Law General Collection INT 21.98 U65 (1932-1976)
Law Koren MicFiche INT 21.98 U65 (1952-1968)
Reproduces the memos and other documents between U.S. ambassadors and other Department of State staff and Washington. This data is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity.  See also:

  • Emerging Nation: Foreign Relations of the United States 1780-1789 (National Historical Publications and Records Commission)
    Lockwood Documents US AE 1.114/3: N21
    Law General Collection E303.E44 1996
    Reprints from a variety of sources diplomatic dispatches, treaties, private letters, and other material from the early years of U.S. diplomacy.

  • Foreign Relations of the United States (University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center)
    http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/FRUS/
    Search and view digital copies of Foreign Relations of the United States between 1861 and 1960.

  • Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States 1861-1931 (U.S. Department of State)
    Lockwood Book Collection JX233 .A3
    Law General Collection INT 21.98 U65
    Information is comparable to that in Foreign Relations of the United States.

Strategic Studies Institute (U.S. Department of Defense. US Army War College)
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/
Provides research and analysis to support the Army War College curricula. Locate information by regions, by topics, and by searching key words. The comprehensive books, papers, and reports emphasize relationships between foreign policy and national security.

Terrorism: A Select Guide to Information (State University at Buffalo. Arts and Sciences Libraries)
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/terrorism.html
UB Librarians selected what they believe are the most useful information sources.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
http://www.usaid.gov/index.html
USAID administers American foreign aid projects. Use the search box to retrieve information on the entire Web site, in the publications section, or by personal names. Publications tend to be substantial rather than political fluff. Significant links include:

  • USAID Budget
    http://www.usaid.gov/policy/budget/
    Leads to 2 significant publications:

    • Congressional Budget Justification (1997+)
    Provides summary data and detailed statistics and justifications to Congress for foreign aid in the said fiscal year. The detailed information covers specific nations in narrative and tabular formats.

    Sourcebook
    Presents historical statistics about aid programs to all nations from 1946 to date.

  • USAID Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC)
    http://dec.usaid.gov/
    Provides full text access to documentation about USAID projects. Retrieve information by countries or subjects.

United States Department of State
http://www.state.gov/
The U.S. Department of State is the lead U.S. foreign affairs agency responsible for implementing the President's foreign policies. Selected key parts of this Web site are:

Intelligence Agencies

Center for the Study of Intelligence (U.S. Central Intelligence Agency)
https://www.cia.gov/csi/index.html
Conducts intelligence related research, and publishes related books and a journal, Studies in Intelligence.  Significant links are:

Intelligence Resource Program (Federation of American Scientists)
http://www.fas.org/main/content.jsp?formAction=325&projectId=6
Reproduces official and unofficial documents about intelligence policy, structure, and operations.  Special links lead to current news; hot documents; Congressional materials; relevant information produced outside the intelligence community; budget issues; and links to foreign intelligence agencies.

U.S. Intelligence Community: Information Resources (Columbia University. Lehman Social Sciences Library)
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/lehman/guides/intell.html
Provides selected links about U.S. intelligence activities.  Topics cover the background; Congressional oversight and budgeting; bibliographies and indexes; classified and declassified information; intelligence reform; and links to specific intelligence agencies.

U.S. National Intelligence Council
http://www.dni.gov/nic/NIC_home.html
Provides the President, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and senior policymakers analyses of foreign policy issues. Links lead to publications; analytic methodologies; and data compiled for the 2020 project that attempts to forecasts international affairs.

Foreign Policies of other Nations

Country Profiles (Great Britain. Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029394365
Presents geographic, economic, historical, and political overviews of nations throughout the world.  Emphasis is upon political and international developments as they affect the United Kingdom.

Foreign Affairs and Policy for the Canadian Government
http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/foreign_policy/menu-en.asp
References reflect the policy priorities of the Canadian Government.

United Nations

Official Web Site Locator for the UN System of Organizations
http://www.unsystem.org/
Browse a list of UN agencies alphabetically or select topics from a Thematic Index.

UN Documentation Centre
http://www.un.org/documents/
View documents and press releases issued by the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, Secretariat, International Court of Justice, and the Trusteeship Council.

United Nations Documentation: Research Guide
http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/
Leads to basic research tools, press releases, and indexes; plus descriptions of and documentation published by the General Assembly, Security Council, and the Economic and Social Council.

United Nations Documents Pathfinder (State University at Buffalo. Law Library)
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/law/guides_handouts/unfinal.htm
A guide to indexes, directories, statistical sources, electronic materials, and yearbooks available through UB's Law Library.

Non-Governmental Sources

American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC)
http://www.afpc.org/
Serves as an information dissemination mechanism for American and other world leaders.  Emphasis is upon the former USSR, developing democracies, and market economies.  Links lead to publications and free bulletins that update readers on issues, and current news. AFPC follows a right of center viewpoint.

Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org/issue/136/us_strategy_and_politics.html
A nonpartisan think tank that investigates foreign policy topics. Locate information by regions; issues; and publications.  Publications include background and analysis; task force reports; meeting transcripts; and must reads.

Foreign Policy Association
http://www.fpa.org/
A non-profit organization that promotes education in foreign affairs.  View data about popular topics; and browse or search the Resource Library by issues, regions, and types of materials.

Rand
http://www.rand.org
A think tank that emphasizes national security, business, health and education, law, and science.  Select relevant topics from the Research Areas tab or browse the Reports & Bookstore tab.  Purchase the reports and books, or view them online at no cost.

Treaties and Other International Agreement (State University at Buffalo. Arts and Sciences Libraries)
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/busdoc/treaties.html
Describes key treaty sources in the Arts & Sciences Libraries as well as the Law Library.

United States Institute of Peace
http://www.usip.org/index.html
An independent, nonpartisan group that attempts to prevent conflicts and promote post-conflict stability. Select the Publications tab to access thorough and comprehensive documents. Congress established and funds the Institute.