Laos Study & Guide AllRefer - Laos Information

A Country Study: Laos
Library of Congress Call Number DS555.3 .L34 1995

* Laos
* Foreword
* Acknowledgments
* Preface
* Table A. Chronology of Important Events
* Country Profile
o Geography
o Society
o Economy
o Transportation and Communications
o Government and Politics
o National Security
* Introduction

* Chapter 1 - Historical Setting (Arthur J. Dommen)
o Early History
+ Power Centers in the Middle Mekong Valley
+ Mongol Influence
+ The Founding of Lan Xang
+ The Division of Lan Xang
o Developments in the 19th Century
+ The Hold of Siam
+ The Eviction of Siam
+ Laos Under the French
o World War II and After
+ The French Protectorate and Direct Administration
+ Nationalist Stirrings
+ Events in 1945
+ The Lao Issara Government
+ A Confusing Situation
o The Coming of Independence
+ The Kingdom of Laos
+ The Pathet Lao
o Toward Neutrality: The First Coalition
+ Initial Difficulties
+ Renewed Negotiations
+ A Fragile Unity
+ The 1958 Elections
+ North Vietnamese Invasion
+ The Army Enters Politics
o The Attempt to Restore Neutrality
+ A Deepening Split
+ The Battle of Vientiane
+ The Widening War
o International Pressure and the Advent of the Second Coalition
+ Expansion of Pathet Lao Influence
+ Protracted Diplomacy
+ Renewed Strains
+ The "Secret War"
o The Third Coalition and the Lao People's Democratic Republic
+ The Vientiane Agreement
+ The Origins of the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Question
+ Formation of the Third Coalition
+ The Communist Seizure of Power
+ Establishment of the Lao People's Democratic Republic
+ "Seminar Camps" and the Death of King Savang Vatthana
+ Postwar Relations with the United States
+ Developments in the Lao People's Democratic Republic

* Chapter 2 - The Society and Its Environment (W. Randall Ireson)
o The Physical Environment
+ Topography
+ Climate
+ Transportation Routes
+ Natural Resources
o Population
+ Ethnic Diversity
+ The Refugee Population
+ Rural-Urban Distribution
o Rural Life
+ Lowland Lao Society
+ Midland Lao Society
+ Upland Lao Society
+ The Pattern of Rural Life
o Urban Society
o Religion
+ Buddhism
+ Animism
o Education
+ Education Prior to the Lao People's Democratic Republic
+ Education since 1975
o Health and Welfare
+ Public Health
+ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
+ Health Infrastructure
+ Social Welfare
o Future Trends

* Chapter 3 - The Economy (Susannah Hopkins)
o Agriculture and Forestry
+ Agriculture in the Economic System
+ Crops and Farming Systems
# Rice
# Other Crops
# Livestock
+ Fishing
+ Forestry
+ Agricultural Policy
+ Environmental Problems and Policy
o Industry and Services
+ Industrial Output and Employment
# Manufacturing
# Energy
# Mining
# Construction
+ Services
# Wholesale and Retail Trade
# Tourism
+ Industrial Policy
o Transportation and Telecommunications
+ Roads
+ Motor Vehicles
+ Inland Waterways
+ Civil Aviation
+ Telecommunications
o Public Finance
+ The Budget Deficit
+ Government Revenue
+ Government Expenditure
+ Policy
o The Financial Sector
+ The Banking System
+ Money and Prices
+ Money Supply and Inflation
o The Balance of Payments
+ The Foreign Exchange Rate
+ Foreign Trade
# Exports
# Imports
# Trade Partners
# Trade Balance
# Trade Policy
# Transit
+ Direct Foreign Investment
# Policy
# Investment Projects
+ Foreign Aid
+ External Debt
o Prospects for Growth

* Chapter 4 - Government and Politics (MacAlister Brown and Joseph J. Zasloff)
o The Lao People's Revolutionary Party
+ Origins of the Party
+ Party Structure
+ Semisecrecy of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party
+ Ideology of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party
+ Leadership
# Internal Stability and External Influences
# Key Leaders
o The Constitution
+ Development of the Constitution
+ Highlights of the Constitution
o Government Structure
+ Bureaucratic Culture
+ Executive
+ Legislature
+ Judiciary
o Challenges to the Regime
+ Human Rights
+ Insurgents
+ Refugees
+ Political Opposition
o Mass Media
o Foreign Policy
+ Basic Goals
+ Bureaucratic Complications
+ Economic Factors
+ Bilateral Relations
# Relations with Vietnam
# Relations with Thailand
# Relations with China
# Relations with the Soviet Union
# Relations with the United States
# Capitalist Donor States
# Multilateral Donors

* Chapter 5 - National Security (Nicholas C. Auclair)
o The Armed Forces
+ Historical Background
# The Colonial Era
# The Royal Lao Army
+ Structure and Administration of the Armed Forces
# Lao People's Army
# Lao People's Air Force
# Lao People's Navy
# Other Military Units
+ Manpower and Conditions of Service
+ The Defense Budget
o Threats to National Security
+ Internal Threats and Resistance Movements
# The Ethnic Liberation Organization of Laos
# The Hmong
+ Foreign Military Presence
+ The Confrontational Relationship with Thailand
+ Relations with the United States
o National Police and Paramilitary Forces
o The Criminal Justice System
+ Civil Liberties and Human Rights
+ Detention Centers
o Narcotics and Counternarcotics Issues

* Appendix. Tables
* Bibliography
* Glossary