LibGuides: GU-Q: GOVT 060-70: Introduction to International Relations: Databases

Subject Databases

CIAO (Columbia International Affairs Online) This link opens in a new window
Conference proceedings and working papers from participating institutes around the world. Includes the full text of books and book summaries, journal abstracts, links to websites and a calendar of conferences and seminars.
PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
A subject guide to journals, books, pamphlets, and government publications relating to economics, social conditions, and international relations.
ProQuest Political Science Database This link opens in a new window
Covers the literature of political science and international relations, including such topics as comparative politics, political economy, international development, environmental policy, and hundreds of related topics.

Primary Sources

Primary Sources from the Library Collection

U.S. Declassified Documents Online This link opens in a new window
Provides access to post- World War II papers from the CIA, the FBI and many other agencies, which have been gathered from presidential libraries. Major domestic and international events of the post-World War II world are covered, including the Cold War, Vietnam, foreign policy shifts, and the civil rights movement. Documents display in a digital facsimile format or ASCII text.
Archives Unbound This link opens in a new window
Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents that support the research and study needs of scholars and students at the college and university level. Collections in Archives Unbound cover a broad range of topics from the Middle Ages forward-from Witchcraft to World War II to twentieth-century political history.
Security Issues Online This link opens in a new window
Security Studies Online is organized around major themes related to security, including terrorism and counter-terrorism, conflicts and resolution, nuclear threats and weapons, and transnational organized crime. Historical background is offered on key worldwide events, such as the U-2 incident (1960), the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (1979), and the 9/11 terrorist attacks (2001). Featured in the collection are video, images, and scholarly text, including works published by Cambridge University Press and Cornell University Press.
The collection provides primary and secondary materials across multiple media formats and content types for each selected event, including Iran (1940s to the Present), 1960 U-2 Incident, World War II and Intelligence, Cold War: The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1961-1962, and more.
Archives Direct This link opens in a new window
Digitized collections of the National Archives (UK) provided by Adam Matthew

Collections include:
Confidential Print: Africa, 1834-1966
Confidential Print : Middle East, 1839-1969
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980
Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1947-1980
Foreign Office Files for the Middle East, 1971-1981

Internet Primary Sources

Always consider carefully the types of sources you find online; it will help you determine their credibility and if they are the right fit for your assignments.

Think about the following:

What kind of content type do I need? A scholarly or newspaper article? A primary source like a speech or a peer-reviewed source like a scholarly article?
Where does the source come from? On what type of website is it available from?
Who is the creator of the source? Can I find its author? Who is publishing this source?

Click here to find more ways to verify your source's credibility.

Below you will find some examples of primary sources for this course, like websites of government bodies, heads of state and international organizations:

Watch the following video on how to find speeches in the UN Digital Library