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countries (the one-time USSR, Poland. Hungary, former Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Rumania, the old Yugoslavia, without former East Germany). He also emphasizes the role of Western assistance and the unanswered question “what economic integration with the West would mean.”

Each chapter is fairly short, written in a lively style without extensive references or index. The book is sparsely illustrated with black and white pictures.

Presently, one can find an abundance of literature on the subject of political and economic transition of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Eastern E~oopc clnd the USSR: The Chllc~ng~ of Frrc~forn has specific attributes that make it stand out from the crowd. Firstly, Merritt looks for political similarities of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to Latin America. Secondly, the author searches for economic patterns that would enable Eastern European industry to develop the same way as was accomplished by the “four tigers” of Southeast Asia (Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong). The last, although not least important value of the book, is a discussion of possible solutions that could help Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union to negotiate through the change more smoothly and to become a part of the European Community.

Enston Eu,opc~ trml the USSR: Tlw Chrrll~~r~~:r of’ Fwc~~orn is not free from shortcomings. The author does not present clear criteria for his definition of Eastern Europe. Should they be political, economic. cultural. or geographical? The reader is left alone to find an answer. One may wonder. for example, why, according to the author, former Yugoslavia is part of Eastern Europe.

The selection of pictures does not capture accurately the present state of Eastern European countries. The vast majority of them are stern-looking images of the poorer part of the European continent-full of industrial pollution. despair, and tired-looking people. They are not quite relevant to the main idea of the book.

Beginning with Chapter 2. the Table of Contents does not match the actual page numbering throughout the book. The lack of an index makes finding specific information difficult.

Altogether, the treatment of the subject makes this book appropriate for members of the general public, who are interested in the transition of Eastern Europe with the old USSR and changing relationship between East and West. The easy and well-written style makes the book perfect for the layperson.

MARIA ANNA JANKOWSKA University of Idaho Library

Moscow, ID 83843 USA

The World Trade System. Edited by Robert Fraser. (Longman Current Affairs). Harlow. Essex, UK: Longman Group. Distributed exclusively in the United States and Canada by Gale Research Company, 1991. xi. 435 p. ISBM O-582-08696-5. LC 92-124705. $165.00

This reference handbook has a cover subtitle “A Comprehensive Reference Guide.” There are six contributors although their individual contributions are not specified. In the Foreword, Robert Fraser provides the context for the book with a very brief overview of the current economic and political situation in Europe, the Soviet Union. the tensions between the North and South, and the trade relationships between the United States, Japan, and Europe. Fraser states that “Within this context, the present book describes the background to the current global trading situation. It then outlines the nature and role of the main international and regional organizations responsible for and active in the regulation or promotion of trade; the characteristics of the trade patterns of all the countries of the world; and the significance of trade in the principal internationally marketed commod- ities” (p. ix). Accordingly, the book is organized in four parts: Part I, Introduction; Part II, Interna- tional Trade-Related Organizations: Part III, Country by Country; and Part IV, International Com- modities. The table of contents lists the country names and the commodities included in the volume. There is no name index for the trade organizations.

The Introduction provides a brief chronology of world events affecting international trade from the end of World War II to the political upheavals in Eastern Europe in 1991. It then describes the political and economic developments during and just after World War II as background to the evolution of the present world economic and trading system. The pattern of trade in the early postwar years is briefly discussed along with the economic integration in Western Europe and the dollar crises resulting in the devaluation of the U.S. dollar in 1972 and the end of the postwar system

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of fixed exchange rates. A longer section is devoted to the situation of the developing countries and describes their gradual emergence as a voice in international organizations, especially in the UN and in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Shorter sections deal with the impact of the oil price increases in the 197Os, the international debt situation, and the deliberations of the economic summits. A section on the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe describes the creation, purpose, and activities of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA or COMECON) until its dissolution in June 1991. The memberships of various Eastern European countries in the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) are traced. The last section of the Introduction describes the primary issues discussed at each of the eight multilateral trade negotiations carried out under the auspices of the GATT, from Geneva in 1947 to the Uruguay Round, which began in 1986 and was scheduled to end in 1991.

Part II on International Trade-Related Organizations includes the most important organizations dealing primarily with trade rather than wider economic cooperation efforts or international monetary affairs. It is divided into two sections, one for global organizations, which includes the GATT and UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), and the other for regional bodies, which is subdivided into sections for Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australasia and the Pacific, Western Europe. and the Arab World. In the section for the Americas there is a part for “Other trade aspects of relationships within the Americas.” This part describes the 1981 Caribbean Basin Initiative of the Reagan administration and the 1990 Enterprise for the Americas Initiative of the Bush administration. Mercosur, the 1991 agreement among Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, is also described.

Each of the entries in Part II gives the name of the organization; its address; the telephone, telex, and fax numbers; the name of its Secretary-General or director; its membership: and its background, objectives, and methods. The length of the entries varies with each organization and runs from a paragraph to over two pages.

Part III, the country descriptions, is the longest section of the book. The book treats Germany as a unified nation but it was published too early to capture the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Each entry provides the area, population, capital city, and the name and address for the ministry of commerce (or its equivalent). Also listed is the exchange rate as of March 28, 1991 in U.S. dollars, whether the currency floats or is pegged to another currency, the per capita GNP, the value of its exports and imports, and its balance of payments position. A brief section describes the political structure of the country and another describes its economy. These discussions focus on recent years. For example, the entry for Iraq discusses the economic impact of the Gulf War on its domestic economy. The principal exports, imports, trading partners, international economic relationships, and memberships are noted. The length of the entries varies from half a page for some of the smaller island nations to three and four pages for countries like China. the USSR, and the United States; most are about one page in length.

Part IV on International Commodities is much less consistent than the part on countries and is the weakest part of the book. Fifty-four commodities are listed, but there is no introductory statement about the criteria for inclusion or the intent of what is presented in the entries. The definition of a commodity is broader than agricultural products, minerals, or metals and includes such things as aeronautics, computers and electronics, financial services, intellectual property, military hardware, narcotics, and telecommunications. Each entry gives some historical background on the value of the commodity and describes its current status in international trade. Most of the entries, but not all, have a table listing the main producing countries, and the main importing and exporting countries, giving the volumes and values involved. Again, most of the entries, but not all, include information about the principal trading organizations for the commodity. The reader expects a correlation between the importance of the commodity and the kind and amount of information provided, but there does not appear to be an effort in this direction. For example, the entry for “rice” explains when rice was domesticated and that China had a good year in 1990, but there is no indication that there is a dispute between Japan and the United States over Japanese imports of rice.

There is great variety in the length of the entries in Part IV. Cotton warrants a page of text, a table, and information on the principal trading organizations, while the entry for fisheries has about two pages of text, a table, but no information on principal trade organizations. Semiconductors has about a page of text and a brief table for the main producing countries, while the entry for computers and electronics has about three pages of text and a table for the imports and exports of electronics by country and a table for home video penetration per household. Petroleum merits nine pages and a table, while the entry for natural gas covers just over three pages with a table. The activities and impact of the Organization for the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is discussed at length in

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the entry for petroleum but no address for the organization is given and it is not included in the entries under Part II. The inconsistency in including pertinent trade organizations raises the question in the reader’s mind about the existence of such organizations. Are there no trade organizations devoted to fish? Does OPEC have an address? Another reference source would have to be consulted to answer these questions.

T/w World Ttwde System is part of the Longman series of guides and directories covering such topics as the news media, trade unions, treaties, and employer’s organizations. Robert Fraser compiled and wrote what might be considered a companion volume published in 1987 and entitled T/w World Finrrttcictl System (Keesing’s Reference Publications Harlow, Essex, U.K.: Longman Group, 1987. 582 p.) In that book he provides a lengthy history on international monetary relations from 1944 to 1986, discussing primarily the International Monetary Fund. The book also covers international economic organizations, monetary organizations, developmental organizations, OPEC and the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), and trade organizations. The chapter on trade organizations treats I5 organizations, compared to 26 in The World Ttudr System. There is some overlap in the coverage for the major organizations, and generally the treatment in Fraser’s first book is more consistent and more thorough. The World Fit~rrtzcirrl System also contains a select bibliography and a general index. which The World Ttxde System lacks.

Aside from the directory part of the book. the value of The World Ttwde System is in placing a country’s domestic political and economic situation in a global context. The same could be said for the treatment of commodities except for the inconsistency in the content and quality of the entries. Overall, this is a useful book, not to be looked to for statistics but for information on the significance of world trade for countries and the impact the world political and economic condition has on the trade in certain commodities.

MARY E. JOHNSON Parish Library

University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 87131

USA

Government Assistance Almanac 1991-92.5th ed. By J. Robert Dumouchel. Detroit: Omnigraphics, Inc.; Washington, DC: Foggy Bottom Publications, 1991. xviii, 799 p. ISBN: l-5.5888-736-9. ISSN: 0883-8690. LCCN: 86-658073. $72.00.

In an era when government spending and entitlement programs are highly controversial issues, delving into the world of government programs can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience. Even the thought of applying for government programs conjures up visions of endless red tape and bureaucratic hassle. How does the average person know where to begin‘? In the latest edition of the Govetxtnrtzt Assi.srtrt~~~ Altnctttrrc, J. Robert Dumouchel provides a guide to starting the process. The author’s major aim is to present the information from the U.S. government’s Ctrrtrlog oj’Fedrrtr1 Dottzestic~ Assistnttce in a simplified fashion, providing the layperson with the basics of each program. minus the lengthy and more technical descriptions given in the Crrtcrlog.

As the title page description indicates, this is a “guide to federal domestic financial and other programs covering grants, loans, insurance, personal payments and benefits, subsidies, fellowships, scholarships, traineeships, technical information, advisory services, investigation of complaints, sales and donations of federal property” (p. iii). In order to cover this hefty list of items, the Almrrnrrc is divided into four parts: an introductory section, the actual program descriptions, summary tables on program funding levels, and a directory of field office contacts.

Dumouchel’s introduction describes the Altnrrncrc’s information and how best to utilize it in identifying appropriate programs and preparing to apply for them. The 1991-92 edition of the Altncttwrc covers I, I83 domestic assistance programs updated through December of 1990 only. The I5 different types of assistance (e.g., direct loans, formula grants. insurance, and specialized services) are each described in brief paragraphs. The author also explains the domestic programs not covered by this work, including procurement contracts and employee recruitment programs. Step-by-step instructions are given for using the index and key points to look for in the program descriptions, as well as important questions and useful tips in dealing with field office contacts during the application process. Dumouchel also includes some basic friendly advice on what to expect from certain types