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In Worlding Women Jan Jindy Pettman asks 'Where are the women in international relations'? She develops a broad picture of women in colonial and post-colonial relations; racialized, ethnic and national identity conflicts; in wars, liberation movements and peace movements; and in the international political economy. Bringing contemporary feminist theory together with women's experiences of the `international', Pettman shows how mainstream international relations is based on certain constructions of masculinity and femininity. Her ground-breaking analysis has implications for feminis.

Zambia inherited a system of government and administration in 1964 which was ill-suited to the tasks of political development to which her new leaders were dedicated. What little national unity and mobilisation had been achieved in the independence struggle declined with the removal of the common enemy. The Government rested on a fragile base, without the support of agreed rules and practices to limit and contain conflict, and without adequate instruments available for the implementation of its policies. So the search began for a more suitable political system, which could cope with the new needs of independence, and provide for the stability of the state and the survival of the Government.

An analysis of the development of Australian national identity in the context of European history & Asian geography illustrates the roles identity can play in a complex regional setting, especially in relation to constructions of security. Conventional security studies are said to be shaped by notions of elite security & privilege that squelch other imaginings of community. It is contended that community is a site of political contestation & a result of power struggles. The "realist-speak" of conventional international relations & security studies has neglected issues of identity & culture surrounding colonization, anticolonialism, & postcoloniality. "Realist speak" deploys but almost never interrogates racialized international identities that are critical to understanding national identity, security, & danger. The evolution of Australia's relations with Asia is traced to point out that immigration into Australia has become re-racialized & foreign policy remilitarized, particularly in the context of the US-led war on terror. The potential for a vigorous politics of identity to move toward more inclusive & emancipatory accounts of security is discussed. J. Lindroth