Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(Encyclopedia)North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), established under the North Atlantic Treaty (Apr. 4, 1949) by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, N...

European Council

(Encyclopedia)European Council, institution of the European Union (EU) responsible for defining the EU's general political direction and priorities. It is composed of an elected president (who serves a two-and-a-ha...

Honecker, Erich

(Encyclopedia)Honecker, Erich āˈrĭkh hônˈĕkər [key], 1912–94, East German political leader. From a Communist family, Honecker was imprisoned by the Nazis for 10 years for party activities. After the war he...

Mnangagwa, Emmerson Dambudzo

(Encyclopedia)Mnangagwa, Emmerson Dambudzo, 1942?–, Zimbabwean political leader. A guerrilla leader during the struggle against white-minority rule, he received military training in China and was imprisoned (1965...

Nitze, Paul Henry

(Encyclopedia)Nitze, Paul Henry nĭtˈsə [key], 1907–2004, American public official, b. Amherst, Mass., grad. Harvard, 1927. After working in investment banking, he entered government service in 1940 and served ...

Majid, Ali Hassan al-

(Encyclopedia)Majid, Ali Hassan al- äˈlē hāˈsän äl-mäjēdˈ [key], 1941–2010, Iraqi general and Ba'athist, cousin of Saddam Hussein. After Hussein took power (1979), Majid played a pivotal role in the Ba'...

Yudhoyono, Susilo Bambang

(Encyclopedia)Yudhoyono, Susilo Bambang so͞osēˈlō bämbäng yo͞oˈdōyōˌnō [key], 1949–, Indonesian army officer and political leader, popularly known as SBY, president of Indonesia (2004–), b. Pacitan,...

Bennett, Naftali

(Encyclopedia) Bennett, Naftali, 1972-, Israeli politician and prime minister (2021-), b. Haifa. The son of American immigrant parents, Naftali served in the Israeli ...

Borisov, Boiko

(Encyclopedia)Borisov, Boiko boiˈkō bōrēsˈŏf [key], 1959–, Bulgarian political leader, prime minister of Bulgaria (2009–13, 2014–16, 2017–). Trained as a firefighter, he joined the interior ministry i...

Taylor, Charles Ghankay

(Encyclopedia)Taylor, Charles Ghankay, 1948–, Liberian rebel and political leader. Taylor attended college in America and became a leader among Liberians there, mounting demonstrations against President William T...