The purpose of the volume, the first in a new ongoing series, is to provide historical essays on topics that have made the headlines and may be discussed in current events classes. Selection of events was made by an advisory panel of academics, teachers, and librarians. Thirty conflicts are covered, arranged in alphabetical order from "The Afghan Taliban: Emerging Government or Civil Rights Tragedy?" to "The World Trade Organization: The Battle in Seattle." A curious omission is the conflict in Northern Ireland, which has not been out of the news in years.Chapters average 10 pages in length, and each follows the same format: summary, historical background, and recent history and the future. Each essay has illustrations; sidebars that provide biographies, chronologies, and other supplemental material; and a bibliography. A list of contributors, a general bibliography, and an index round out the volume.