Book Reviews

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. 

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.

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. 

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.