Book Reviews

  • Howard W. French
    Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2014
    ISBN: 0307956989

    From 1990 to 2008, Howard French reported for The New York Times as bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China in Shanghai. French builds on those experiences to describe how Chinese migrants contribute to Africa’s development in his book China’s Second Continent: How a Million Migrants Are Building a New Empire in Africa. The influence can run both ways, notes veteran journalist and editor of YaleGlobal Online Nayan Chanda in his review, which was first published by Global Asia: “A common theme that emerges from French’s inter­views with these Chinese migrants is that most lacked opportunity at home and resented omni­present corruption, pollution and lack of freedom….”  

  • William I. Robinson
    New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014
    ISBN: 978-1-107-69111-7

    The world is highly integrated, and few can hope to escape the consequences of modern capitalism –inequality, debt and corporate power combined with worrisome declines in sustainability and trust in government. A mix of crises threatens world civilization, argues William I. Robinson, a sociology professor, in Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Humanity, and prospects for reform seem bleak. To ensure a comfortable way of life for future generations, Robinson urges critical thinking, political engagement and redistribution of wealth. Just as globalization has spurred processes of finance, supply chains and labor mobility, the phenomenon could speed ideas for rescue, too. 

  • Nader Hashemi and Danny Postel, Editors
    The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2013
    ISBN: 978-0-262-02683-3

    The civil war in Syria should be tough for global citizens to ignore with more than 100,000 dead, brutal fighting, and a stream of images of devastated cities and overcrowded refugee camps. The war destabilizes the region, yet the global community seems paralyzed to act. The Syria Dilemma, a collection of 21 essays, explores the war’s complexities and analyzes options for the international community, including intervention and diplomacy. In her review, Susan Froetschel points out that endless fragmentation is an enemy for good governance – and that an opposition uniting around an agenda emphasizing respect for human rights and intolerance for violence could sound the death knell for the Assad regime.

  • David Shambaugh
    Published by Oxford University Press, 2013
    ISBN: 0199860149

    David Shambaugh, professor of political science and international affairs and director of the China Policy Program at George Washington University, is a highly respected analyst of Chinese politics who has written for YaleGlobal. His most recent book focuses on China’s ambivalent involvement in global affairs and quest for global power. Alistair Burnett, editor of the BBC News Program The World Tonight, describes the book as a “treasure trove” on Chinese global participation and the debates within China’s power circles on how to proceed, albeit through an American lens. Both review and book reinforce the opinion that China is involved in global politics but would prefer to boost economic development at home.

  • Sharmila Joshi, Editor
    Gateway House, Indian Council on Global Relations, 2012
    ISBN:

    South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is a regional organization that aims to achieve political and economic cooperation of eight nations: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India, as the largest of these both in terms of land area and population, can overwhelm other SAARC members. Neighbourhood Views is a collection of essays marking SAARC’s 27th anniversary, crafted to examine India’s relations with the other seven member states and offer recommendations. The publication represents a mature and sincere gesture, intended to improve and reinforce relations after a century of bitter divisions throughout the region.

  • Anders Wijkman and Johan Rockström
    Routledge, 2012
    ISBN: 0415539692

    Reckless speculation with natural resources could be more dangerous than speculation in the financial markets, warn Anders Wijkman and Johan Rockström in their book, Bankrupting Nature: Denying Our Planetary Boundaries. Ultimately, the financial world and every human being depend on a stable environment. Wijkman is advisor at the Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden, and co-president of the Club of Rome. Rockström is a professor in Natural Resource Management, Stockholm University, and executive director of the Stockholm Resilience Center. The book addresses climate change along with the larger issue of an economic system and global population that are no longer sustainable. The globe is confronting multiple interconnected crises that require systematic change rather than minimal adjustments. 

  • Edward N. Luttwak
    Belknap Press, Harvard University Press, 2012
    ISBN:

    Media in the West frequently suggest that China is on a trajectory to become the world’s leading economy and superpower. Edward Luttwak argues that China, because of its history and geostrategic position in the world, confronts a choice. It can become an economic power or military power, but cannot achieve both. In his review, BBC editor Alistair Burnett outlines the argument and evidence. History suggests that a country bordering many states – and China has 14 neighbors – will struggle to overcome wariness and their inclination for balance by forming ties with rivals like the United States. Burnett finds Luttwak’s evidence intriguing, yet warns that China has overcome many challenges and could buck the historical trend.

  • Fawaz A. Gerges
    Palgrave, Macmillan, 2012
    ISBN: 0230113818

    Writing for YaleGlobal over the years, international relations professor Fawaz A. Gerges has issued many astute early warnings on the Middle East – about desires for freedom stirring in the autocratic regimes, the War in Iraq disrupting the West’s battle for hearts and minds throughout the Muslim world, and the enduring nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for galvanizing extremism. His book analyzing the US role in the Middle East in recent years is must reading for anyone who cares about the region, suggests Susan Froetschel in her review of Obama and the Middle East: The End of America’s Moment? The assessment shows how political polarization is weakening the US, forcing its president to be more ordinary than extraordinary. Gerges recommends that the US embrace balanced policies to maintain influence in the region.

  • Edward Luce
    Little Brown and Company, 2012
    ISBN: 1408702754

    Unless bolstered by evidence and reasoning, cheery optimism is not reassuring. Edward Luce, with the Financial Times, scolds the United States for squandering its influence in Time to Start Thinking: America and the Spectre of Decline. Politicians and citizens, increasingly polarized over ridiculous issues, studiously ignore the many global-scale problems at hand. The nation could emerge strong once again by bolstering the middle class, investing in education and infrastructure, and emphasizing innovation. Reviewer Alistair Burnett, editor of BBC’s The World, compares the criticism to a stern wake-up call from a friend.   

  • Zachary D. Kaufman, Editor
    Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 2012
    ISBN: 978 1 78100 221 6

    A tough economy combined with a globe of plenty of atrocities is driving many talented and impatient youth to take action by launching their own non-government organizations and nonprofits. Young social entrepreneurs identify a problem and develop strategies, raise awareness and funds, and hope for sustainability. Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Atrocities: Changing Our World, edited by Zachary D. Kaufman,is a collection of eight essays by young social entrepreneurs that explore the motivations and challenges. The stories amaze and inspire, writes reviewer Susan Froetschel, and they present the world as a place for great interconnected possibilities.