LibGuides: GU-Q: IPOL- 397: Foreign Policy Analysis: Databases

Library Databases

What is a Library Database and Why Should I Use One?
Which Library Databases Should I Use for this Course?

A library database is an online collection that the library pays for (which means you cannot find it for free on the Internet) and contains a variety of sources that are trustworthy, authoritative, and reliable. For example, it can contain books, peer-reviewed articles, and reports about an issue such as International Security. There are also databases that are comprised of only one type of resource, for example, news or image databases.

It usually has more advanced features than the library catalog that can help you find and organize your materials better. For example, you can browse based on a subject or date, and create automatic emails that let you know when a new article has been published.

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.
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980 This link opens in a new window
Foreign Office files for China, 1919 - 1980 makes available the complete British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan for much of the Twentieth Century. The documents combine eyewitness accounts, weekly and monthly summaries, annual reviews, reports and analyses with a synthesis of newspaper articles and conference reports, economic assessments and synopses.
Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1947-1980 This link opens in a new window
These three collections consist of the British Government's files on the countries of South Asia from shortly before Indian partition and independence up to 1980. As well as tracing the international connections between India, the Commonwealth and the wider world, this collection offers unique insights into political movements and cross-border tensions that were central to the modern state's preoccupation with stability and national unification.
Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952 This link opens in a new window
A component of the Archives Direct suite of collections sourced from the National Archives--the UK government's official archive, Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952 makes available extensive coverage of British Foreign Office files dealing with Japan between the years 1919 and 1952. The collection is divided into three modules: Japan and Great Power Status, 1919-1930; Japanese Imperialism and the War in the Pacific, 1931-1945; and Occupation of Japan, 1946-1952.
Incorporating the Taishō to the Shōwa periods, these papers shed light on Anglo-Japanese ties in a time of shifting alliances. Documenting Japan’s journey to modernity, the files discuss a period in which the country took on an increasingly bold imperialist agenda.

Consisting of diplomatic dispatches, correspondence, maps, summaries of events and diverse other material, this collection covers British concerns over colonial-held territory in the Far East, as well as Japanese relations with China, Russia, Germany and the United States.
Foreign Office Files for the Middle East, 1971-1981 This link opens in a new window
Digitized files from Foreign and Commonwealth Office departments concerned with the Middle East, as well as relevant selections from Prime Minister's Office files and Defence Intelligence files. The documents include diplomatic correspondence, dispatches from UK ambassadors and envoys, meeting minutes, and maps. Module I covers 1971-1974, including the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and oil crisis. Module II covers 1974-1978.
The documents include diplomatic correspondence, dispatches from UK ambassadors and envoys, meeting minutes, and maps. Module I covers 1971-1974, including the 1973 Arab-Israeli war and oil crisis.
Nexis Uni This link opens in a new window
Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) provides access to more than 17,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis. Nexi Uni has three primary collections: 1) full-text access to thousands of news sources in the U.S. and abroad back to the 1970s; 2) aggregated economic data on businesses, corporations, and industries in the U.S. and abroad; 3) full-text legal documents, including U.S. Federal and State court cases, and law reviews from the late 18th century to present.
Policy File Index This link opens in a new window
Indexes otherwise hard to obtain research and publications from public policy think tanks, university research programs, research organizations, and publishers. Each item includes an abstract and, where available, access to the full-text of the report and/or the homepages and electronic mail addresses of the authoring institution.
Each item includes an abstract and, where available, access to the full-text of the report and/or the homepages and electronic mail addresses of the authoring institution.