Historical encyclopedia of U.S. presidential use of force : 1789-2000 /

Broader than Bejamin R. Beede's Intervention and Counterinsurgency (CH, Mar'86) and unlike The War of 1898 and US Interventions, 1898-1934, ed. by Beede (1994), this unique resource covers the use of force, short of war, 1789-2000. DeRouen (political science, Southwest Texas State) and contributors ranging from university faculty to community college students base most of the entries on the data sets compiled by the Congressional Research Service. Beyond providing entries for specific topics, a number of theoretical entries treat concepts such as "Bounded Rationality." Although this work will aid advanced students, they may be frustrated by the regional rather than country-specific entries. Among other frustrations, it is unclear why some topics warrant entries and others do not; Schechter Poultry Corporation v. US is included, but Grenada is not. Significant cross-references are lacking; e.g., there is no link from Desert Shield/Storm to Gulf War; while some sources are incorrectly cited, they are decipherable; the index is quite brief. Despite such shortcomings, the content is useful and well chosen. In view of its price and scholarly tone, this book will appeal mostly to research libraries. D. Liestman Kansas State University