Weblinks   Cuban Missile Crisis http://library.thinkquest.org/11046/ The Cuban Missile Crisis is often cited as an event that brought the superpowers to the brink of nuclear war. This site provides an in-depth account and analysis of the crisis and the actors and issues involved. Read dossiers of the primary players, hear segments of the ExComm meeting, and see U-2 spy plane photos. At the end, take an on-line quiz to see how well you understand the crisis. Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/ The democratic peace theory presented in Chapter 3 contends that "although democratic states sometimes wage wars against other states, they do not fight each other." Political scientist Rudolph J. Rummel has devoted his career to research on the causes and conditions of collective violence and war with a view toward helping bring about their resolution or elimination; he supports the democratic peace proposition. Visit his Web site to analyze his work. What evidence do you think supports the democratic peace proposition? How persuasive are his arguments? Caution: Some of the pictures on the site contain graphic violence. Freedom House http://www.freedomhouse.org/ Founded by Eleanor Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie, this nonprofit organization focuses on threats to peace and democracy. Each year since 1972, Freedom House has published comparative ratings for countries and territories around the world, evaluating levels of political rights and civil liberties. Map 3.2 in your text uses data on the spread of democratic liberty throughout the world provided by Freedom House. Examine specific countries’ freedom ratings. Which have radically improved? Why do you think this is so? The Presidents: PBS’s The American Experience http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/presidents/indexjs.html This inclusive Web site features some of the most prominent U.S. presidents of the twentieth century, including Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. Sections focus on the U.S. foreign policy achievements of each president. Chapter 3 introduces the history-making individuals model of government that equates a state’s foreign policy with the preferences and initiatives of the highest government officials. Familiarize yourself with the foreign policy achievements of some U.S. presidents. Do you believe the history-making individuals model is a legitimate explanation of foreign policy? What are the limits to the model? Academic Info Religion http://www.academicinfo.net/religindex.html Many American students are unfamiliar with the belief systems of non-Western religions. Do you know the difference is between Lamaistic and Theravada Buddhists? Find out by visiting the Academic Info Religion Web site. This site links you with Internet resources for the study of the world’s religions. Read passages from the Koran and the Old and New Testaments. Compare and contrast Taoist, Zen, Mormon, Hindu, Gnostic, and Nag Hammadi texts. If your tastes lean more toward mythology and alchemy, you will find them here, too.