Goals

This Virtual Library will present books, reports and grey literature of AFES-PRESS, of other publishers and from research institutes in these areas:

• Peace research: armament,
  
  
• Arms control and disarmament
  
  
• Global and European security policies and structures
  
  
• International environment, climate and energy policy
  
  
• Human and environmental security and peace (HESP)
  
  
• Global environmental change and natural disasters
  
  
• Reconceptualising security in an era of globalisation
  
  
• On global regions with a focus on the Mediterranean region.

that were published in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Arabic (and hopefully later also in other languages). It is our goal to develop a tool that facilitates access to scientific literature, especially by institutions and colleagues working on the above issues or working and living in low income countries. This service will be offered only in English.

The scientific communication within the security, the peace research, the environment policy, global change and natural disaster research communities has been highly fragmented along disciplinary lines and is taking place primarily in English and has clearly been dominated by authors in North America, the UK and Northern and Central Europe. This dominant scientific community hardly notes scientific communications in other languages but English and by authors from developing countries. At book fares (e.g. at the annual Frankfurt International Book Fare) publishers from developing countries, especially from the MENA region, have hardly been represented. Thus, many important publications of scholars and research institutes in the MENA region as well as in many third world countries are hardly taken note of in the North.

This AFES-PRESS virtual library wants to contribute to:

• overcome the disciplinary boundaries of social and natural sciences in environment, peace and security studies;
  
  
• to overcome the language barrier between the dominant English writing and the research communities publishing in other languages;
  
  
• to offer a platform for small publishers, especially in Third World Countries, with a focus on North Africa and the Middle East and around the Mediterranean;
  
  
• to offer a possibility for research institutes working on the four issues areas to present their research reports or to offer links to their research institutes.

Audience

• Social and natural scientists
  
  
• Research institutes
  
  
• Publishers
  
  
• Journalists and the Media
  
  
• International and national policy makers.

Structure of the Website

• During the initial period the AFES-PRESS Virtual Library will present all the books that may be obtained from AFES-PRESS Books (AFES-PRESS Reports, Collection STRADEMED, Editions Publisud, and by Hans Günter Brauch).
  
  
• After this trial period both publishers and research institutes working on environmental, peace, security and Mediterranean issues are invited to submit books and reports they would like to have included. If the books are selected we ask the publishers or research institutes to send us

  a) hard copy by mail to: AFES-PRESS Virtual Library, Alte Bergsteige 47, 74821 Mosbach, Germany

  b) and by Email to: virtual-library@afes-press.de the following contributions in the original language and if possible in English:

  • a one page summary of the book/report with a 10-20 line cover text that summarises the content, goals, approach, theories etc.; 5-10 lines on the author(s) preferably in English;
    
    
  • scanned image of the title page of the book or report,
    
    
  • full bibliographical data on the book and report,
    
    
  • links to the publishers website and additional links to the authors and their universities and research institutes.

• AFES-PRESS will try to obtain grants from foundations to obtain funding to cover the costs of expanding and maintaining this new website.
  
  
• AFES-PRESS does not take sites in any of the ongoing violent conflicts.
  
  
• As a non-profit scientific society AFES-PRESS does not pursue any commercial, political, religious or other interests besides supporting multilateral scientific cooperation based on democratic principles.

Conditions for Participation

• The website will present only books and reports by scientists or with a scientific focus.
  
  
• Besides the submission of one free publication, AFES-PRESS will charge no fee for this contribution to scientific communication.
  
  
• All books and reports are to remain for at least two years in this virtual library on this website.
  
  
• AFES-PRESS may build up a scientific network of advisers, contributors and reviewers with a geographical focus on different macro regions.
  
  
• Proposals for participation should be sent to: afes@afes-press.de.
  
  
• Books and research reports to be considered for inclusion should be sent to:
  AFES-PRESS Virtual Library, Alte Bergsteige 47, 74821 Mosbach, Germany
  
  
• By E-mail a 10-15 line abstract of the book, report preferably in English (but in no other languages than German, French and Spanish). By E-mail you should also add any links to other webpages where background information on the book or report, the author and the institution as well as reviews that have been published can be accessed.

AFES-PRESS plans to update the virtual library once every three months and will include all relevant material received until 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December in the next edition. The initial version will be loaded in April 2004.

Any suggestions on how this virtual library may be improved and what kind of information should be included are welcome. However, AFES-PRESS will not include political or religious statements or references to activities that are not of a scientific but only of a purely commercial nature. This service will be open to the general public free of charge.
AFES-PRESS virtual library team

Hans Günter Brauch (lead editor, legal responsibility)
Annabelle Houdret (Ph.D. candidate, contributing editor for North Africa)
Stefan Hintermeier (Free University of Berlin, Otto-Suhr-Institute for Political Science)