Written for high school and undergraduate students, this three-volume reference provides entries on policy, political organizations, states, weapons, terminology, events, and personalities associated with the broad themes of the title. Each entry gives a description and history of the topic and includes a short list of references. The encyclopedia is strongly focused on topics relative to the United States, though some of the contributors are outside the US, in Russia, Italy, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and Germany. A sample of entry topics includes anthrax, ballistic missiles, Bay of Pigs, CDC, Coast Guard, dosimetry, European Union, Mossad, toxicology, and windtalkers. There are short entries on the intelligence and security policies of a selection of countries. As noted in the introduction, terrorist organizations are described using information from the US Department of State. The editors' affiliations are not noted. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)