Product Description: The "southern cone" of South America has a vibrant yet checkered history. Argentina in 1920 was a productive and wealthy nation, yet by the 1980s was reduced to virtual third world status. Chile has a long history of internal strife, usually with representative politics until authoritarians seized power in 1973...read more

Product Description: Colombia in the 1980s became known for its role in the illegal drug trade, and for political instability and violence caused by this problem. But much of this is a recent development in Colombia's history that began in the 1530s, when Spain conquered local Indian kingdoms...read more

Product Description: Central Europe's ancient civilizations have long been dominated by empires: the Roman Empire, the Habsburg Empire, based in Austria, and more recently, the Soviet Communists. But the decline of communism in the late twentieth century has unleashed old resentments, rivalries, and ambitions that have caused yet more war in this troubled region...read more

Product Description: Since Marco Polo, the fabled markets of China have drawn the west like a magnet. This ancient culture has been colonized by foreign powers, buffeted by war and revolution, yet China remains one of the most constant of international influences...read more

Product Description: Thailand, Laos, and Burma have been known as the Golden Triangle, because of their historically prominent role in the drug trade. For centuries, these countries have produced the opium that has attracted traders from Europe and elsewhere...read more

Product Description: The lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea contain some of the oldest cultures on Earth. Italy and the other countries of Europe and North Africa have played a central role in various expanding empires, and also in shrinking fortunes...read more

Product Description: With the war in Kosovo raging and debates heating up in Congress and in the media, most Americans still don't understand why this war erupted. Now, in this informative, timely All You Want to Know audiobook, the reasons for the conflict -- and the history behind it -- are brought to light...read more