About the Contributors

Francesco Cossiga (b. 1928, Sassari). Holds a law degree and was Professor of Constitutional Law at Sassari University. Active member of Catholic Action and FUCI, and in 1945 joined the Christian Democratic Party, becoming Provincial Secretary from 1956 to 1958 and leader of the DC Group on the Sassari City Council until 1966. He served as Minister for Home Affairs in the 2nd and 4th Andreotti governments, but resigned in May 1978 following the murder of Aldo Moro. He was re-elected Deputy for the sixth time on 3 June 1979, and was the Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs Committee. On August 4, 1979 headed a coalition government of the DC, PSDI and PLI Parties, and from April 4, 1980 to October 18, 1980 headed a second DC, PSI and PRI coalition government. In 1983, as Senator for the Tempio-Orieri constituency, was elected Speaker of the Senate. On June 24, 1985, elected President of the Republic at the first ballot. Left office on April 28, 1992 and was appointed Life Senator. Named "doctor of civil law" from Oxford University, Honorary Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford, member of the Council of the Foundation of the Academy of Philosophy Studies of Lichtenstein, Honorary Senator of the Senate of the University of Bonn. Holds honorary degrees from major universities around the world.

Krešimir Ćosić (b. 1949, Zagreb, Croatia). Holds B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph. D. degrees from University of Zagreb, Croatia. Visiting research fellow at Aerospace Department, Ann Arbor University of Michigan in 1990. Presently full professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. Since 1993, President of the Military-Technical Council of the Ministry of Defense of Croatia. Also former Deputy Minister of Defense of Croatia from 1996-2000. Dr. Ćosić is at present director of the Institute for Defense Studies, Research and Development, which was established in 1999. He is married and has two children.

Srećko Domljanović (b. 1968, Rijeka, Croatia). Holds B.Sc. in Naval Architecture from the University of Zagreb, Croatia. In September 1995, joined Military-Technical Council of the Ministry of Defense of Croatia and performed various duties dealing with technical and organization-modernization projects of the Croatian Armed Forces. Earned MS in 1998 at the Industrial College of Armed Forces, National Defense University, in the United States. Has worked in the Institute of Defense Studies, Research and Development since July 1999. Married since 1999.

The Honorable John Train has received part-time appointments from Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton. He founded Train, Smith Investments Counsel in New York, and writes a column in London's Financial Times. He is the Senior Contributing Editor for Strategic Review.

Tome Batkovski (b.1952, Ohrid, Macedonia) Professor at the Faculty of Security in Skopje. In his scientific work deals mainly with (a) research of national security in general and security questions related to Republic of Macedonia and the Balkan region in specific; (b) criminal investigation in the area of criminal acts against the state; (c) research in the area of organized crime. Dr. Batkovski is author of over thirty articles. His book The Plot of the Albanian Nationalism in Macedonia (Skopje; 1994) treats from a criminological aspect the phenomenology of illegal organization and activities based on extreme Albanian nationalism in Macedonia from 1945-1987.

Plamen Ilarionov Pantev (b. 1952). Senior Research Fellow, Ph. D. and Associate Professor in International Relations and International Law at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridsky". Expert in security studies, foreign-policy predictions and international negotiations. Founder and Director of the Institute for Security and International Studies (ISIS), Sofia, Bulgaria.

Lt.-Gen. Leonid Vladimirovich Shebarshin (b. 1935, Moscow). Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 1958. In the period from 1962 - 1991 served with the KGB, and was posted in Pakistan, India, Iran, and Afghanistan. Retired in 1991 from the post of Deputy Chairman - head of the First - Main Directorate of KGB. President of the Russian National Economic Security Service, Moscow.

Helene L. Boatner († 2000) Served with the Central Intelligence Agency from 1963 until 1996. Employed for ten years as an analyst with the Office of Economic Research in the Directorate of Intelligence, and with the Office of National Estimates. Later served in a wide variety of executive positions, including Director of Political Analysis, Director of Leadership Analysis, Director of Current Production and Analytic Support and Comptroller. Spent two years in the U. S. Mission to the United Nations. Also served on the Editorial Board of CIA's Studies in Intelligence and was Chairman of that Board for many years. Received a B. A. in Mathematics from the University of Texas and a M.A. in Economics from The American University, and was a graduate of the National War College in Washington, D.C. Helene Boatner died on 9 January 2000.

Jordan Anguelov Baev (b. 1954, Sofia). Associate Professor of contemporary history, national security, crisis management at the New Bulgarian University, Sofia. Since 1999, Executive Director, Center for Conflict Studies, Sofia. International academic activity: Central European University, Budapest; The George Washington University, Washington DC; King's College, London; Helsinki University; American University; Blagoevgrad; U.S. Institute of Peace & Black Sea University Foundation, Sinaia, Romania; "George C. Marshall" Center for European Security. Participation in International Conferences: Amsterdam, Athens, Berlin, Bratislava, Brno, Budapest, College Park, Maryland, Graz, Leipzig, London, Managua, Moscow, Prague, Reykjavik, Stanford, California, Warsaw, Washington, D.C. Publications: 142 publications on contemporary history, foreign policy, international relations and conflict studies, and four books, among them: Military-Political Conflicts after World War II and Bulgaria. Sofia 1995, and Greek Civil War: International Dimensions. Athens 1997. Co-author /co-editor/ of 12 books.

Admiral Davor Domazet-Lošo (b. 1948, Sinj, Croatia). Military education: Navy Military Academy, (1971), Command - Staff Tactics and Operations School (1984), War Strategy School (1991). Ranks: Rear Admiral, (1994), Vice Admiral, (1998), Admiral, (2000). Assignments: Assistant or Commander on several types of ships, Commander of the "Split" Missile Frigate, anti-submarine and anti-missile defence specialist on war ships (1987), Head of Intelligence Analytics Department in the Military Maritime Zone (1991), Chief of the Strategic Research Office (1991), Chief of the Intelligence Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (GS AF of the Republic of Croatia, 1992), Deputy Chief of GS AF of Croatia (1996), Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia (1998-2000). Admiral Domazet deals primarily with strategic studies, and writes and publishes essays in the fields of general strategy, military strategy, doctrine and tactics. He also lectures at upper level civilian and military educational institutions.

Davor Marijan (b. 1966, Livno, Bosnia-Herzegovina) Holds degrees in history and archaeology from the University of Zagreb, Croatia. Has published works in the area of military history. Author of the monography Battle of Kupres, 1942. (Zagreb: AGM, 1999). Employed in the Military Museum of the Croatian Army in Zagreb.

Maj.-Gen. Alexander Anatolevich Liakhovsky (b. 1946, Tbilisi) Military education - Supreme Army Command Educational Institute, Bakin, Azerbaijan; Military Academy "M. V. Frunze" and Soviet Army General HQ Military Academy. Assignments: As commander of a motorized tank unit, took part in the 1968 events in Czechoslovakia. Spent a long period of time working in the General HQ. Served in various conflict zones in several countries, such as Ethiopia (1983), Angola (1984) and Afghanistan (1987 - 89). Within the Territorial Army Chief Command, was entrusted on numerous occasions with missions to hot -spots in the Soviet Union and in Russia (Armenia, Georgia, South Ossetia, the Baltic region, Tajikistan, and the Northern Caucasus) where he was tasked to normalize the situation in those respective areas. Currently serves as deputy chief of one of the directorates of the Chief Directorate of the Territorial Army. His current army rank is General Major. Author of a number of articles on local wars, which have been published in journals and newspapers. Also author of three books: The Secrets of the Afghan War, The Tragedy and Glory of Afghanistan, and The Flames of Afghanistan. Received the USSR Ministry of Defense Award for his article "On the Scorched Afghan Land" in 1990.