|
|
 |
|
|
New
and old
China's Megatrends by John Naisbitt and Doris Naisbitt
While the China model that stands today can indeed be viewed as a provocative
plan to build a national economy, many of its cultural characteristics that
this book points to were also in place during the turbulent times of Mao
Zedong's leadership. Though the authors do a very good job of elevating the
Chinese perspective and context, in their excitement over China's recent growth
they overlook many downside risks. - Benjamin A Shobert
(May 21, '10)
|
|
|
|
Mad
about Bernie Madoff
No One Would Listen by Harry Markopolos
The man who blew the whistle no one heard on the biggest scam in Wall Street
history deserves a medal. This book on the Bernard Madoff scandal highlights
why he'll probably never get it. - Muhammad Cohen
(May 14, '10)
|
|
|
|
Light
on dark conflicts
Primed and Purposeful by Soliman M Santos et al
For anyone interested in non-traditional security issues in the Philippines,
this valuable volume on the country's long-running conflicts is a must-read.
Written jointly by a distinguished group of experts it shines valuable new
light on complex and often contradictory socio-political issues, including
in-depth profiles of various rebel groups. - Fabio Scarpello
(May 7, '10)
|
|
|
|
Islamic
finance - steady amid chaos
The Stability of Islamic Finance by Hossein Askari et al
As the global financial crisis shredded banks' fortunes around the world,
Islamic institutions maintained high growth rates. This team of authors has the
rare combined expertise to explain why and to present Islamic finance as a
realistic alternative to the current conventional system. - Robert E Looney
(Apr 30, '10)
|
|
|
|
A
lost morality
Keynes: The Return of the Master by Robert Skidelsky
John Maynard Keynes' posthumous reputation has fluctuated as much as his
personal fortunes did in his lifetime, as later economists pressed for
acceptance of their own concoctions. Now, as the squabbling successors to this
towering man of erudition and morality see the waste around them, they can only
hope that a claim to be first-offenders will save them from the most severe
prison sentences. - Julian Delasantellis (Apr
23, '10)
|
|
|
|
Lewis
comes up short
The Big Short by Michael Lewis
The celebrated author of Liar's Poker returns to his old hunting ground
of the financial markets to chase down the characters who saw the financial
crisis coming and backed their insights with hard cash. The "who" and the "how"
are vintage Lewis. Missing, unfortunately, is the big question(s) - "why?". - Chan
Akya (Apr 16, '10)
|
|
|
|
Lifting
the cloak on North Korean secrecy
The Cleanest Race, How North Koreans See Themselves by B R Myers
This sharply written book by one of the few North Korean analysts who
understands the language is a remarkably perceptive study that everyone with an
interest in North Korea should read. The author argues that fanatical
anti-Americanism is what helps to keep the regime in power. Far from seeking a
positive relationship with the US, the North negotiates with Washington not to
defuse tension but to manage it. - Michael Rank
(Apr 9, '10)
|
|
|
|
A
search for personal, political roots
Wishart's Quest by Peter Corris
This tale of a foundling who searches from Australia to Hong Kong for his
origins, eventually discovering he is the son of a disgraced Vietnam War
veteran and an aboriginal mother, draws a compelling portrait of the social
dynamics at play in Australia's evolution into a multiracial society. - Muhammad
Cohen (Apr 1, '10)
|
|
|
|
Bad bet against China's leaders
The Beijing Consensus by Stefan Halper
Though originally meant to be a book about how China's rising consumer class
was challenging the Communist Party and nudging the country toward democracy,
the harder the author looked, the more he became convinced that its ruling
party would endure. In some ways, the United States has itself to blame. - Paul
Wiseman (Mar 26, '10)
|
|
|
|
Refusal to surrender
My Father was a Freedom Fighter by Ramzy Baroud
The Palestinian-American journalist and editor provides a rare antidote to the
United States, European and Israeli media's decontextualization and
dehumanization of Palestinians, told via a no-holds-barred account of the life
of his father, Mohammed Baroud. - Robin Yassin-Kassab
(Mar 19, '10)
|
|
|
|
Healing
invisible wounds
Noor by Sorayya Khan
The scars of the 1971 civil war between East and West Pakistan, which led to
the creation of Bangladesh, are still fresh in the minds of the thousands who
fought or lost loved ones. This book based on a mysteriously artistic child
vividly recreates those horrors, while reminding how little Bangladesh,
Pakistan and India have learned from the war. - Reviewed by Tahir Rauf
(Mar 12, '10)
|
|
|
|
Counter-insurgency,
then and now
A Question of Command by Mark Moyar
Counter-insurgency thinking is once again in the limelight, just as it was 50
years ago, which is why this timely perspective will find audiences in and out
of the military. The bulk of the book comprises nine case studies ranging from
the American Civil War to the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author
has done a great deal of research, though points of disagreement are
inevitable. - Brian M Downing (Mar 5, '10)
|
|
|
|
Overextended
banker collapses
The Next Asia by Stephen S Roach
A long-time Wall Street "thought leader" and current Morgan Stanley Asia
chairman gives his views on the economic crisis, globalization, United
States-China relations and more. Like many bankers' books, this one doesn'vt
stand up to close examination. - Muhammad Cohen
(Feb 19, '10)
|
|
|
|
The
need to engage 'terrorists'
Talking to Terrorists by Mark Perry
Author Mark Perry recounts how senior United States military officers in Iraq
ignored the mantra, "we don't talk with terrorists" and held secret meetings
with Sunni insurgents that eventually turned the tide of the war. That wisdom
seems lost on today's Washington, which continues to conflate moderates in the
Middle East with the real radicals, playing directly into the latter's hands. - Allen
Quicke (Feb 12, '10)
|
|
|
|
Look
who's come to dinner
Superfusion by Zachary Karabell
This insightful book examines the alternatives to fearing China's inevitable
rise as a super-economy and global political force and asks whether American
hostility to making room at the table for an upsetter of the old economic order
is more a reflection of its own lost confidence. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Feb 5, '10)
|
|
|
|
The
skeleton in the cupboard
China: Fragile Superpower by Susan L Shirk
While avoiding the stereotypes on which Western pundits base their assumption
that China's rise to surpass the power of the United States is inevitable, this
important book charts a course of democratization. However, it fails to account
for the possibility that China may succeed precisely because of its
totalitarian nature. - Dmitry Shlapentokh (Jan
29, '10)
|
|
|
|
A
flawed picture
Forces of Fortune by Vali Nasr
Though this book should be commended for attempting to dissect the difficult
development issues in the Muslim world, it falls well short of succeeding. The
author’s analysis has a flavor that makes it a timely travel companion for
Western policymakers touring the Middle East to preach economic reform, yet it
offers scant social scientific value. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Jan 22, '10)
|
|
|
|
She had a dream
Surviving against the Odds by S Ann Dunham
Nearly 15 years after US President Barack Obama's mother passed away, her dream
to publish her life's work has been realized. Against the backdrop of top-down
Asian development programs of the 1970s and academic anthropology, the book is
a testament to Dunham's lifelong passion for helping rural populations around
the world. It also offers a few pointers to Obama's early development. - Dinesh
Sharma (Jan 15, '10)
|
|
|
|
Diamond
reclaimed
Diamond Hill by Feng Chi-shun
Now just another subway stop and home to the glitzy malls and housing estates
that define modern Hong Kong, Diamond Hill was once full of gamblers, thugs,
movie stars and squatters. A resident during that long-lost period, the author
presents a snapshot of Hong Kong's rich history that, at the same time, laments
how the city is paving over its past. - Kent Ewing
(Jan 8, '10)
|
|
|
|
Osama
bin Laden, my father
Growing Up bin Laden by Jean Sasson, Omar bin Laden
and Najwa bin Laden
Omar bin Laden had no choice in being born the fourth son of Osama bin Laden,
and a favored sibling at that, but he did have the choice to reject the ways of
his father. He spurned the AK-47 with which he had become familiar as a youth
growing up in Afghanistan, and elected to define his own destiny. It has not
been an easy road as he struggles to achieve acceptance in a world in which the
name bin Laden spells only one thing - terror. - Simon Allison
(Dec 23, '09)
|
|
|
|
Too
late to learn?
The Cost of Capitalism: Understanding Market Mayhem and Stabilizing our Economic
Future, by Robert Barbera
As Keynesians and Friedmanites battled to dominate economic theory, the man who
threaded the needle of reality was the relatively unsung Hyman Minsky.
Unfortunately, and despite Barbera's valuable and innovative account of our
present financial crisis, Minsky's influence may not yet be sufficient to save
the world from yet another government-sanctioned, wealth-destroying,
catastrophic bubble. - Julian Delasantellis (Dec
22, '09)
|
|
|
|
Missing
in action
One Nation Under Contract by Allison Stanger
This is a rare insight into the true nature of the outsourcing of government
roles, as varied as development aid and security in conflict zones. This
practice has created an accountability gap that the US government has the power
and responsibility to close if the private sector is to fulfill its true
potential to work for the benefit of all, the book argues. - David Isenberg
(Dec 18, '09)
|
|
|
|
'Dialogue
of the duff'
US Foreign Policy and Iran by Donette Murray
Talking past each other - "dialogue of the duff" - has been a salient feature
of United States-Iran relations over the past 30 years, this intimately
detailed account of how the US has handled Tehran argues. The book makes
essential reading, even though it lacks an in-depth investigation of the
Iranian side. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Dec 4,
'09)
|
|
|
|
Cutting
through the talk
Negotiating With Iran by John W Limbert
The author, the Barack Obama administration's newly-appointed point man on
Iran, shares a wealth of insights and recommendations in the cognitive map of
Iranian negotiators. A major fault of the book is an inadequate exploration of
Iran's own strategic outlook. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Nov 25, '09)
|
|
|
|
Constructing
the Oriental image
The Sum of All Heresies by Frederick Quinn
This book provides a broad exploration of the evolution of the Middle East
image through European eyes from near antiquity to the present. Viewed as the
embodiment of barbarity during Roman times, "Orientals" came to be seen as
permanently inferior to Europeans, needing to be controlled and exploited. - Dmitry
Shlapentokh (Nov 20, '09)
|
|
|
|
An
extraordinary life, an ordinary man
Don't Call Me a Crook by Bob Moore
Dissident Books, in rediscovering and editing this overlooked classic first
published in 1935, has resurrected a one-time author whose ignorance,
rakishness and lack of conscience are indicative of his time. What's
extraordinary, however, are his Chinese misadventures, which include tales of
murder and kidnappings. - Kent Ewing (Nov 13,
'09)
|
|
|
|
China
according to the Chinese
The Origin, Process, and Outcome of China's Reforms
in the Past One Hundred Years by Enbao Wang
Much of the English-language discourse on China's unpredicted rise is divided
between those who are fascinated and those who are frightened. The author makes
a useful attempt to bridge a growing gap between what has happened in China in
the past 30 years on the one hand, and persistent Western cultural-political
solipsism on the other. - Yu Bin
(Nov 6, '09)
|
|
|
|
On
Indonesia's Islamic road
My Friend the Fanatic by Sadanand Dhume
The writer of this timely travelogue crisscrosses Indonesia's archipelago,
searching out the movers and shakers of a movement that aims to impose its
intolerant version of Utopia on a fledgling democracy. It's a vivid, graceful
and astute work, offering an inside look at the high toll politicized Islam
exacts on Indonesia. - Ioannis Gatsiounis (Oct
16, '09)
|
|
|
|
Short-changing
China's century
The Empire of Lies by Guy Sorman
This book penetrates the interior of China, touching on areas too-often
overlooked like poverty, human rights, and backwards governance. But it fails
to note how far the nation has come this century, its pulse of progress in
developing regions and subtle changes in leadership, and the analysis suffers
as a result. - Benjamin Shobert (Oct 9, '09)
|
|
|
|
Named
and shamed
Bailout Nation by Barry Ritholtz with Aaron Task
The United States government has thrown billions of dollars at rescuing
companies and their officers who should have been bankrupted, exposed as
charlatans, in some cases jailed, argues Ritholtz in a compelling and
devastatingly accurate indictment of the financial and political establishment.
- Muhammad Cohen (Oct 2, '09)
|
|
|
|
US
hegemony slips into history
The Future of Global Relations by Terrence Edward Paupp.
The Barack Obama administration, dealing with the fallout of ongoing efforts to
preserve Washington's unipolarity since the end of the Cold War, is facing
unprecedented challenges. The author of this book traces the downward
trajectory of US power and forecasts a very different future for the
international community. - John Feffer (Sep
11, '09)
|
|
|
|
Himalayan
heights of disingenuousness
The Anti-Globalization Breakfast Club by Laurence J Brahm
Very little in this corporate lawyer turned Tibetan Buddhist’s book is served
up as promised, undermining its Himalayan Consensus manifesto for international
development. The author’s penchant to play loose with facts also scars a
potentially stimulating read. - Muhammad Cohen
(Sep 4, '09)
|
|
|
|
India
renews its tryst with destiny
Imagining India by Nandan Nilekani
Weaned off of a half-century of dependency on quasi-socialist ideologies, India
may now be poised for a major role on the global stage if it can overcome its
internal divides, the author argues. With demographic and other advantages over
economic rival China, he writes, India's resurgence could even fulfill the
heady promise of its founding. - Dinesh Sharma
(Aug 21, '09)
|
|
|
|
Crisis
hindsight
As the storm recedes, at least for a while, from the worst financial crisis
since World War II, bookshelves are littered with accounts claiming insight
into how and why it happened, if not why so few saw it coming. Whether you opt
for the views of PIMCO's Mohamed El-Erian, famed investor George Soros or the
insightful but relatively obscure Thomas E Woods - choose with care. Not all
are what they seem, as with ex-bond salesman Michael Lewis.
(Aug 14, '09)
|
|
|
|
Australia's
plucky blonde jihadi
The Mother of Mohammed by Sally Neighbour
Referred to as the "Elizabeth Taylor of the jihad", Rabiah - born Robyn -
Hutchinson was an Australian doctor who ended up marrying a leading al-Qaeda
ideologue and member of Osama bin Laden's inner circle. This book investigates
her past and present with flair, candor and wit. - David Wilson
(Aug 7, '09)
|
|
|
|
A
true espionage page-turner
The Spy Who Loved Us by Thomas A Bass
Colleagues of Phan Xuan An, a talented US-trained reporter during the Vietnam
War, were shocked to later learn that the man they had grown to trust and
respect was a communist spy. As details of An's real role in the war slowly
emerged, the writer of this book set out - with some success - to map the long
road of Vietnam's master of deception. - Alexander Casella
(Jul 31, '09)
|
|
|
|
Courage
versus power
Dreams and Shadows by Robin Wright
Offering a realistic appraisal of the promise and limitations of moderate
agents of change in a politically pent-up region, this book pries open a window
to the Middle East's lesser-known strain of citizen activism against both
dictatorship and Islamist terrorism. The US attack on Iraq, for instance,
stranded new democracy activists throughout the Middle East and handed the
initiative to violent actors. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jul 24, '09)
|
|
|
|
Outplaying
your partner
Poorly Made in China by
Paul Midler
Lead paint in toys and melamine in baby milk formula are not surprises to the
author but predictable outcomes from a manufacturing culture in China that
takes customers for granted and assumes no responsibility for its outputs. This
expose is a cautionary tale that strikes at the very heart of United States
diplomacy with China. It is a fascinating, funny and important book. - Muhammad
Cohen (Jul 17,'09)
|
|
|
|
India's
quest for autonomy
Challenge and Strategy. Rethinking India's Foreign Policy by Rajiv
Sikri
India will get nowhere in its quest for global recognition if it continues
piggybacking on other nations while bowing before the United States and China,
says the author. Instead, New Delhi has to construct its own center of gravity
around which it can gather like-minded states and pursue economic growth and
security. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jul 10,'09)
|
|
|
|
Strength
and dishonor
Building the Tatmadaw by Maung Aung Myoe
The incredible staying power of Myanmar's regime is thoughtfully explored
in this revealing, if somewhat flawed, study of the Tatmadaw, or armed forces.
With insights into the military's doctrine, strategy and organization, this is
a must-read for anyone seeking to unravel the mysteries of the junta's mindset.
- David Scott Mathieson (Jul 3,'09)
|
|
|
|
Political
violence vs terror
South Asia: The Spectre of Terrorism by P R Kumaraswamy and
Ian Copland (eds)
A collection of essays by analysts within and outside the region, the book
throws light on the complex relationship between Islam and political violence
in South Asia. Individually, the essays are insightful, what the book lacks is
cohesion. - Sudha Ramachandran (Jun 26,'09)
|
|
|
|
Poignant
tales of the Cultural Revolution
Apologies Forthcoming by Xujun Eberlein
Perfectly capturing the turbulence of China's Cultural Revolution and its bleak
aftermath through haunting, human tales of patriotism, love, hope and loss, the
short stories in this collection are honest, poetic and moving. Through her
engaging, well-drawn characters, the author shines a revealing light on a era
that China's leaders would prefer the world forgot. - Kent Ewing
(Jun 19,'09)
|
|
|
|
The
coming robot wars
Wired for War by P W Singer
An intriguing and ominous glimpse into the future of robotic warfare, this book
may have references to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Terminator movies
and Isaac Asimov - but it is no lightweight read. War will be waged remotely by
laser-toting air, sea, land and outer-space drones, with humans increasingly
taken out of the equation. Think HAL, think SkyNet, and be afraid. - David
Isenberg (Jun 12,'09)
|
|
|
|
A
flawed study of 'rogue' Iran
The Secret War with Iran by Ronen Bergman
Though readers are often cautioned not to judge a book by its cover, in this
case the politically charged sub-title (Control of a 'Rogue' State) defines the
contents perfectly. Instead of providing a serious look at the covert
intelligence wars between Iran and the West, the author attempts to frame it as
a "terrorist" state bent on undermining the international system. - Mahan Abedin
(May 28,'09)
|
|
|
|
The
dragon's shadow
China's Rise and the Two Koreas by Scott Snyder
China's economic influence may not have fully transformed the Korean
Peninsula's security policies, but it has challenged the primacy of the United
States. Though this book is pro-American for endorsing Washington's military
footprint in the region, it offers an intelligent appraisal of how Beijing's
reach is lengthening over East Asia - and why it needs to keep North Korea in
its orbit. - Sreeram Chaulia (May 22,'09)
|
|
|
|
Tiananmen
tales from the dark side
Tiananmen Moon by Philip J Cunningham
This rich, well-drawn narrative of the 1989 Tiananmen student movement
poignantly links the days of the protest to the lunar cycle, from the full,
luminescent moon that shone over its sanguine beginnings to the dark, moonless
sky that masked the government's lethal crackdown. It avoids the stark tale of
good versus evil often portrayed in the West, painting the protest leaders in
shades of idealism and narcissism. - Kathryn Minnick
(May 21,'09)
|
|
|
|
Bruce
who?
Wing Chun Warrior by Ken Ing
Offering jarring insights into a Hong Kong that no longer exists, this book
tells the story of Duncan Leung, a martial arts master and childhood friend of
Bruce Lee. In an age when Kung Fu practitioners wielded eight-chop knives in
the streets and battled their way through martial arts studios to prove their
prowess, Leung was almost always the last man standing. - Kent Ewing
(May 15,'09)
|
|
|
|
Riding
a tiger through a brothel
Red Lights: The Lives of Sex Workers in Postsocialist China by Tiantian
Zheng
Featuring overwrought born-yesterday explanations of why men go to brothels,
the author's recap of her two years researching a north China karaoke bar is
marred by acres of egghead gobbledygook. Otherwise, the book might find a wide
audience beyond academia, with its horrid tales of rape, abuse and even
vomiting hostesses. David Wilson (May 8,'09)
|
|
|
|
Predicting the death of Islam
The Crisis of Islamic Civilization by Ali A Allawi
The differences between Islam and the Judeo-Christian West run far deeper than
the political surface, the author argues, and they begin with a radically
different view of the individual, or more precisely, the view that the
individual human being really does not exist to begin with. - Spengler
(May 4,'09)
|
|
|
|
Behind
the Afghan propaganda
Invisible History: Afghanistan's Untold Story by Paul
Fitzgerald and Elizabeth Gould
Providing an honest overview of the US's involvement in Afghanistan dating from
the Cold War, this book raises useful questions for anti-imperialists, "liberal
imperialists" and neo-cons alike. As independence continues to elude the Afghan
people, the full extent of Washington's meddling is revealed. - Anthony Fenton
(May 1,'09)
|
|
|
|
Ungainly
friendship
Axis of Convenience by Bobo Lo
China and Russia's strategic partnership is at its apex, but they are unlikely
to forge a new anti-Western axis any time soon, as historical distrust and
their divergent relationships with the United States and Europe are a constant
limiter. Geopolitical games for control of Central Asia and the energy trade
also loom as areas of conflict, argues the author of this concise analysis. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Apr 24,'09)
|
|
|
|
Spoiling
for a fight
The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen
The "accidental guerrillas", those wretched and unwanted "societal antibodies
emerging in response to Western intervention", love a fight, and they certainly
have one on their hands in Afghanistan, and increasingly in Nuristan province,
which the book clearly explains. As for the Taliban's and al-Qaeda's plan for
"victory" - there is no answer. - Philip Smucker
(Apr 21,'09)
|
|
|
|
Capitalism
with Chinese characteristics
Made in China by Winter Nie and Katherine Xin with Lily
Zhang
Such is the transformation of China's economy over the past three decades that
privately owned enterprises are now without doubt the country's economic
driving force, attracting more than double the fixed-asset investment of
state-owned outfits. A native breed of capitalist is thriving with virtually
none of the tin cans of China's socialist, centrally planned legacy tied to its
tails. - Muhammad Cohen (Apr 17,'09)
|
|
|
|
Boiling
over in bubble Beijing
China High: My Fast Times in the 010 by ZZ
A buzzing, psychedelic narrative of the author's misadventures in sex and drugs
as a brash Shanghai-born, American-schooled entrepreneur haunting the
tragically hip, neon-drenched world of Beijing's club scene, this hallucogenic
tale has more than a hint of the bizarre. It's also a tale of hubris, as the
perpertrator's subsequent descent into the rigors of the Middle Kingdom's
"vile" prison system hints at a modern morality tale. - David Wilson
(Apr 9,'09)
|
|
|
|
Dialogue
and debate in the Islamic Republic
Iran's Intellectual Revolution by Mehran Kamrava
Despite its shortcomings, such as failing to fully display the complex,
self-reforming, intellectual dynamism of the Islamic Republic, this is a highly
informative book that sheds much light on the hot furnace of intellectual
discursive debates in today's Iran. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Apr 3,'09)
|
|
|
|
Light
on a dark conflict
Tearing Apart the Land by Duncan McCargo
Whether driven by a liberal sympathy for the Malay Muslims or by a security
focused concern for the spread of radical Islam, research on Thailand's violent
Malay Muslim separatist movement remains enmeshed in an ideological divide.
While this book clearly falls on the more sympathetic side, it shines new light
on one of the region's darkest conflicts. - Jason Johnson
(Mar 27,'09)
|
|
|
|
Twelve
steps to a new grand strategy
Great Powers: America and the World after Bush by Thomas P M
Barnett
Since George W Bush left office, many Americans have begun soul-searching,
questioning the nature of US power and how it should be used. This book is a
well-reasoned argument for the US to re-engage with the world's problems,
though it should be remembered that the rest of the international community has
some reservations about its intentions. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Mar 20,'09)
|
|
|
|
This
almost-chosen, almost-pregnant land
American Babylon by Richard John Neuhaus
America is "a country with the soul of a church", as author G K Chesterton
wrote, and by no accident, it is the only industrial nation (apart from Israel)
in which religion plays a decisive role in public life. The central role of
religion continues to polarize Americans and confuse foreign observers. - Spengler
(Mar 16,'09)
|
|
|
|
Buying
what they're selling
India's Store Wars by Geoff Hiscock
India's underdeveloped retail sector is expected to explode in the next four
years. This book introduces the key players behind the coming revolution,
fueled by the half a billion people eager to sample the temptations of the 21st
century. The author, though, accepts too many stock answers straight from the
shelf. - Muhammad Cohen (Mar 13,'09)
|
|
|
|
Anime
and Japan's postmodern monsters
Otaku: Japan's Database Animals by Hiroki Azuma
About two decades ago, a geeky breed of techno-loners known as otaku emerged
in Japan, spawning an industry that churned out anime, manga and video games.
But a string of murders and the subculture's offbeat erotica have earned otaku
a reputation as "perverts and threats to society", writes Azuma. As he points
out, we may all be more in touch with our inner otaku than we care to
admit. - David Wilson (Mar 6,'09)
|
|
|
|
ASEAN
in search of relevance
Hard Choices edited by Donald K Emmerson
As the 10-member Association of Southeast Nations kicks off its annual summit
this weekend, many contentious issues surrounding the regional body's future
are again under the microscope. This book attempts, and reasonably succeeds, at
addressing many of them in a refreshing way, highlighting the hard choices
ahead for Southeast Asian governments of all stripes. - Michael Vatikiotis
(Feb 27,'09)
|
|
|
|
Show
me the exit!
When Markets Collide - Investment Strategies for the Age of Global
Economic Change by Mohammed El-Erian
Ideally, an investment book should answer the eternal conundrum - when to sell.
The respected El-Erian may put recent events in "their proper context" and give
readers "the tools" to interpret the markets. But this reviewer is still
waiting for the answer to the key investment riddle. Tell me when to get out! - Julian
Delasantellis (Feb 20,'09)
|
|
|
|
Airport
to nowhere
Waltz with Bashir: A Lebanon War Story by Ari Folman and David
Polonsky
This is a stunning, unnerving graphic novel and film describing the traumatic
memories of the director, Ari Folman, from his days serving as a 19-year-old
Israeli "grunt" in the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. From these exclusive excepts
of the novel, we get a taste of the "bad acid trip" of Folman's war trauma and
his shocking recollections of the notorious massacres in Beirut's Sabra and
Shatila refugee camps. (Feb 6,'09)
|
|
|
|
No
speed limit
Merchants of Madness by Bertil Lintner and Michael Black
Featuring excellent detail and documentation, this book provides a shocking
overview of the amphetamine trade in Myanmar. For countries and organizations
pouring financial assistance into the country, it is certainly worth a close
read, raising hard questions about whether the current international push for
change in Myanmar can succeed as long as the ruling regime benefits from the
drug trade. - David Scott Mathieson (Jan
30,'09)
|
|
|
|
The
strongmen's benefactors
The Temptations of Tyranny in Central Asia by David Lewis
After the demise of the Soviet Union, the tyrants who took charge in much of
Central Asia have had virtually a free hand to brutally quash all opposition
and repress their impoverished peoples. This book expertly recounts how a
hypocritical West has nurtured these despots by lavishing aid and praise on
them to secure strategic military gains and a slice of their vast energy
reserves. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jan 23,'09)
|
|
|
|
Japan's
simple soldier of misfortune
Private Yokoi's War and Life on Guam by Omi Hatashin
Driven into hiding for 28 years by US forces on Guam, Japanese soldier Shoichi
Yokoi was forced to kill cockroaches by hand and weave clothing out of foliage
to survive. This book is a remarkable portrait of the tragic Yokoi, one of
20th-century Japan's most remarkable figures who went on to pioneer today's
minimalist living trend. - David Wilson (Jan
16,'09)
|
|
|
|
Balanced
diplomacy or Iranophobia redux?
Restoring the Balance: A Middle East Strategy for the Next President.
On the surface, this collection of articles by various experts on Middle
Eastern affairs, including policy advisors to president-elect Barack Obama,
makes a fine case for introducing major changes in US foreign policy. Yet the
centrality attached to Iran's perceived threat reflects an old diplomatic
mindset that will merely extend the stalemated relations between Washington and
Tehran. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Jan 9,'09)
|
|
|
|
Comrades
in contradiction
Persian Dreams by John W Parker
This is an exhaustive untangling of Russia's and Iran's imploding, fluctuating
and expanding ties since the latter's revolution in 1979. It triangulates the
nations' relationships with the United States, illuminates the contradictions
of their dealings during the civil wars in Tajikistan and Afghanistan, and
brings to light the pivotal role a newly resurgent and perhaps nuclear Iran
will play in Moscow's chessboard across Central Asia and the Caucasus. - Ian
Chesley (Dec 19,'08)
|
|
|
|
The
fruit of a poisonous tree
Defeat: Why America and Britain Lost Iraq by Jonathan Steele
This convincing, if moralistic, indictment of Iraq's treatment by the United
States and Britain argues that only misery and atrocities emanated from the
"original sin" of a misguided occupation. The Iraq depicted in this book is a
shattered land victimized by broken promises, gross mismanagement, and above
all, strategic blunders, one after another. - Mohammed A Salih
(Dec 12,'08)
|
|
|
|
The
rise of the ‘booboisie'
Notes on Democracy by H L Mencken
In what would surely delight the great satirist H L Mencken, his politically
incorrect attack on the democratic process in this fresh, annotated edition
will be even more offensive than it was when first published in 1926. Though
arrestingly relevant, such views expressed by today's pundits would certainly
provoke the anger of the American "mob", with its government by "orgy and
orgasm". - Kent Ewing (Dec 5,'08)
|
|
|
|
Military
reform 30 years on
America’s Defense Meltdown edited by Winslow T Wheeler
After reading this book one can only conclude that with the US military's
budget at some trillion dollars annually, and mismanagement and bureaucracy at
their highest levels since the Vietnam war, the time is ripe for major reform
in the Pentagon and the military-industrial complex. But the authors don't just
criticize, they also offer sober, detailed solutions. - David Isenberg
(Nov 26,'08)
|
|
|
|
Political
whores go biblical
Diary of a Jetsetting Call Girl by Tracy Quan
This saucy diary rises like a French bedroom souffle, baked at a high heat,
Provence style. But it is often more perspicacious than sexy, using a galaxy of
well-drawn characters to passionately tease out the real human emotions and
politics of sex work. It also juxtaposes these realities with biblical
introspection on Mary Magdalene, the patron saint of all call girls, even ones
with $2,500 handbags and Manhattan banker husbands. - Muhammad Cohen
(Nov 21,'08)
|
|
|
|
Pseudo-intellectualism
on Iran
Iran: A People Interrupted by Hamid Dabashi
Full of factual errors and self-contradictions, this flawed history of Iran's
past 200 years often offers little more than a soap box for the author's
outdated anti-colonial arguments. The book's credibility is further damaged by
distasteful attacks on other scholars and his lazy approach to analysis of
post-revolutionary Iran's complex political arena. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Nov 14,'08)
|
|
|
|
Subprime
- an (im)morality tale
Confessions of a Subprime Lender by Richard Bitner
At one end, Wall Street's highest high-flyers; at the other end, low-income, or
no-income, Americans with a contract to sign for a house beyond their financial
dreams. Between them the salesperson with the smile, with the talk, with the
pen that will seal the deal. And now with a morality tale fit for our bankrupt
times. - Julian Delasantellis (Nov 7,'08)
|
|
|
|
Universally
rejected
The Politics of Chaos in the Middle East by Oliver Roy
The George W Bush administration, led by "universalists", believed the
"American experience" was the perfect model to stamp on the peoples of the
Middle East. But this has instead created instability and, in some countries,
chaos. The conclusions to be drawn from the book are that the US should be more
accommodating to the traditions of the Muslim world and that it should reach
out to pragmatic Muslim nationalists, for example those in Iran. - Dmitry
Shlapentokh (Oct 31,'08)
|
|
|
|
Graveyard
of Indian idealism
Tibet: The Lost Frontier by Claude
Arpi
India threw up its hands and presented Tibet to China in 1950, its leaders
naively believing that the future of Asia depended on a chimerical "eternal
friendship" with China. This book expertly relates how Beijing seized the
opportunity, gaining a capitulation which humiliated India as a "paper tiger",
and opening a gateway for the Chinese army to the Indian
sub-continent - Sreeram Chaulia (Oct
24,'08)
|
|
|
|
Sharansky's
mistaken identity
We must belong to cultures and nations, author Natan Sharansky asserts, rather
than to the insipid soup of global citizenship. The trouble is that some
identities are hostile to other identities by nature. From Ireland to
Afghanistan, for example, the identities of all tribes and nations have become
a response to Israel. - Spengler (Oct 20,'08)
|
|
|
|
Delinking
options on Iran
Iran: Assessing US Strategic Options edited by James J Miller,
Christine Parthemore and Kurt N Campbell
Architects of a new US foreign policy on Iran should shun this toxic
compendium, which recommends a dangerous military-diplomatic cocktail in
dealing with Tehran. The authors call for "turbocharged sticks" and "periodic
refresher" strikes, rather than the real solution - nuclear ambitions which are
verified, fully monitored and peaceful. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
(Oct 17, '08)
|
|
|
|
Gambling,
growth and imagination
Paul Krugman this week won the Nobel Prize in economics for his "analysis of
trade patterns and location of economic activity". Reuven Brenner would have
been a more deserving winner. Rather than put bells and whistles on the
conventional economic model - now in cataclysmic breakdown - Brenner yanks
economics inside-out by placing risky behavior at its center.
(Oct 14, '08)
|
|
|
|
Asians
one and all
Pan-Asianism in modern Japanese history, edited by Sven Saaler
and J Victor Koschmann
The essays in this book reconstruct the development of Pan-Asianism - the
assumption that Asians should be united - as one of the most important trends
in modern Japanese history. One of the crucial points in the study of
Pan-Asianism is its application and relation to real life, yet this is entirely
ignored by the authors. - Dmitry Shlapentokh (Oct
3, '08)
|
|
|
|
A
peek into a Persian paradox
The Ayatollah Begs to Differ by Hooman Majd
Raised and educated in the West before working closely with two Iranian
presidents, Majd is the perfect raconteur to give a deeper perspective on Iran
and its relationship with America. Part autobiography, part political
reporting, the book juxtaposes a disarming view of the contradictions in
Iranian society with sweeping insights into the nation's political affairs,
international relations and culture. - Ian Chesley
(Sep 26, '08)
|
|
|
|
'We
blew her to pieces'
Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan by Aaron Glantz
This gut-wrenching chronicle gives vivid and searing accounts of the
devastation the United States occupation has brought to Iraq, as well as to its
own soldiers. Compiled from emotionally charged testimonies and under the
guidance of the Iraq Veterans Against the War, this is an important and
disturbing account of "the true face of war". - Dahr Jamail
(Sep 19, '08)
|
|
|
|
The
ashes of American morality
The Dark Side by Jane Mayer
The core of the book is a dissection of the United States' reaction to the
September 11 attacks and how it led to the "war on terror" - a war the author
describes in all its sordid details. The deduction drawn is that the US has
seen many of its core values eroded to the point of endangering the very
principals on which American society is allegedly based. - Alexander Casella
(Sep 5, '08)
|
|
|
|
Rebranding
9/11
The Second Plane by Martin Amis
This incendiary collection of short stories and articles smolders like the
rubble of the twin towers. Taking on fundamentalism, Islamism in particular, as
well as the West, in absorbing, dialectic prose he scores a direct hit against
victim and victors alike. - Julian Delasantellis
(Aug 29, '08)
|
|
|
|
Chronicle
of errors
Descent Into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid
Hopes that the US's direct involvement in Afghanistan would lead to a
terrorism-free region have gone. Rashid, an insightful and revealing
chronicler, rightly identifies the need for a reshaped Pakistan if peace in the
region is to be found. - Sreeram Chaulia (Aug
8, '08)
|
|
|
|
Tarnished
'truth'
The New Paradigm for Financial Markets by George Soros
Economists teaching us that we are creatures of the market claim a universal
"truth" that limits questions about what life is for. As the US financial
crisis deepens and, Soros argues, heralds the end of an economic era, his
message should get a hearing in the debate over what system of exchange
replaces it. - Nicholas Kiersey (Aug 1, '08)
|
|
|
|
Middle
Kingdom deciphered
Smoke and Mirrors by Pallavi Aiyar
This nuanced analysis from the first and only Chinese-speaking Indian foreign
correspondent to reside in China deciphers the Middle Kingdom in a witty and
illuminative account that has flashes of a classic. Aiyar soaks into Chinese
culture, society, economics and politics and reaps rich rewards by capturing
what every author dreams of - the essence of the subject matter. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Jul 11, '08)
|
|
|
|
Over-the-counter
cloak and dagger
Spies For Hire by Tim Shorrock
Intelligence contracting has become a US$45 billion industry for the United
States government, and about 75% of the employees at the National Security
Agency are actually "private-sector spooks". After reading this groundbreaking
investigation of the intelligence-industrial complex, one realizes that if
James Bond were operating today he would have a contract, not a license, to
kill. - David Isenberg (Jul 3, '08)
|
|
|
|
How
history shaped the Pearl of Asia
Phnom Penh - A Cultural and Literary History
by Milton Osborne
Wearing a white sharkskin suit, a 22-year-old Milton Osborne first visited
Phnom Penh in 1959 where he met British writer Somerset Maugham and began a
long and affectionate affair with the beautiful but troubled Cambodian capital.
Osborne has now compiled a half-century of observations into a tender portrait
of Phnom Penh and an analysis of how the course of Cambodian history has shaped
it. - Andrew Symon (Jun 27, '08)
|
|
|
|
No
longer just goodies for the top 1%
The Trillion Dollar Meltdown by Charles R Morris
The time for Milton Friedman's theories, like those of Keynes, previously a
generation's benchmark for economic decision-making, is up. At this turning
point, Morris pins down an unusual suspect for the present epochal economic
crisis and foresees the dawn of a period more concerned with the whole of
society rather than just its blessed 1%. - Julian Delasantellis
(Jun 20, '08)
|
|
|
|
Asia's
awesome threesome
Rivals by Bill Emmott
Any friendship between China, India, and Japan is a facade, argues Bill Emmott
in his new book on the inter-state rivalry and its consequences for the world.
Asia's "Big Three" are prone to suspicions and jealousies due to their highly
competitive and strategic environment and this has led to a complex "new Asian
drama". Emmott's yen for futurology yields interesting speculations but his
premise of a is illogical and bypasses the impact of Russo-American tensions. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Jun 13, '08)
|
|
|
|
The
people's new opium
China's New Confucianism by Daniel A Bell
Confucianism is resurgent in China, with its proponents aiming to re-enshrine
moral standards for a nation undergoing dizzying change. Surprisingly, a
Westerner is at the forefront and in this book he tackles issues ranging from
why Confucianism is important today to the reason senior communist leaders
always dye their hair black. - Sunny Lee (Jun
6, '08)
|
|
|
|
Life
and death in the Bible
The power of God for Christians and Jews by Kevin J Madigan
and Jon D Levenson
Theology should reclaim its lost throne as queen of the sciences because it is
a guide to the issues that decide the life and death of nations. In this
splendid book, the authors have done an enormous service to their own and to
many other disciplines by clarifying the Biblical understanding of life and
death. - Spengler(May 27, '08)
|
|
|
|
Tell-tale
travelers' tales
Russia and Iran in the Great Game by Elena Andreeva
Opinion in Russia today on Iran is divided over whether or not to engage the
country. This same division existed in the late 19th century, the era on which
the author focuses, using the writings of Russian travelers to Iran. What the
lively book lacks is a comparison of what European travelers to Russia felt. -Dmitry
Shlapentokh (May 16, '08)
|
|
|
|
A
new voice to Paine's cry of rebellion
Bad Money by Kevin Phillips
Four decades ago, author Phillips showed how a coalition of the new
Sunbelt and the old white South would come to create a long-term Republican
majority. Two decades is long-term enough for him, and he now declares
rebellion against the entire American establishment controlling a near bankrupt
country devoid of serious financial debate and civic engagement. - Joe
Costello (May 9, '08)
|
|
|
|
America's
university of imperialism
Soldiers of Reason by Alex Abella
The RAND Corporation was the Cold War granddaddy think-tank of them all, one of
the most unusual private organizations in the field of international relations,
and it's still with us. It helped administrations plan and fight the Vietnam
War, turning theory into an all-too-grim reality. Yet its record of advice on
cardinal policies involving war and peace, arms races and decisions to resort
to armed force has been abysmal. - Chalmers Johnson
(May 2, '08)
|
|
|
|
The
Fed's king of bubbles
Greenspan's Bubbles - The Age of Ignorance at the Federal Reserve
by William Fleckenstein
Alan Greenspan did not have to wait long before his reputation for guiding the
US economy to a new age of economic prosperity was stripped of plausibility.
The financial crisis now of global reach was underway well before his long
tenure as US Federal Reserve chairman came to an end. The man's folly, and that
of his obsequious inquisitors in Congress, is now fully exposed. - Julian
Delasantellis (Apr 25, '08)
|
|
|
|
Asia
pushes, West resists
The New Asian Hemisphere by Kishore Mahbubani
A turbulent era of de-Westernization has begun in Asia, and Western societies,
apprehensive about Asia's galloping modernization, fear the world order built
to sustain their domination will be overthrown. This could be a good thing, the
enlightening book suggests, if the West could learn to work with, rather than
against, Asia's renaissance. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Apr 18, '08)
|
|
|
|
Beyond
the statue's cold frown
Young Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore
The early years of Joseph Stalin make for an exotic tale. Widowed at 22,
Stalin's heart turned to socialism and he soon grew into a gangster chief, a
four-time political exile and a talented poet. In evocative prose, Montefiore
casts new light on a man whose name is a byword for ruthless and dictatorial
government and at the same time adds depth and context to a dominant 20th
century leader. - Fraser Newham (Apr 11, '08)
|
|
|
|
A
neo-con in the works
Surrender Is Not an Option by John Bolton
The Yale-educated son of a Boston firefighter, Bolton makes no secret of his
contempt for liberal thinking and his urge for confrontation. The controversial
former US ambassador to the United Nations explains his decision to go it alone
at the UN with a mission to "improve America's position" rather than to improve
the organization. Bolton eventually failed on both counts because his hardline
approach kept him from realizing that the two are inextricably linked. - Alexander
Casella (Apr 4, '08)
|
|
|
|
The
flawed golden goose
Blind Men and the Elephant by Was Rahman and Priya Kurien
The IT industry helped revolutionize the global economy, yet its practitioners
frequently fail to grasp business basics, deliver projects late - if it all and
with questionable benefits - while also communicating dismally with customers,
the authors argue. India' success in getting these things right,
notwithstanding lingering complacent habits elsewhere and a lack of forward
vision, leave many in the industry ill-prepared to face a downturn. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Mar 28, '08)
|
|
|
|
Larger
than life
Tell Me a Story by Kevin Sinclair
Sinclair epitomized the swashbuckling, hard-drinking journalists of yesteryear,
and his memoir is sure to stir nostalgia for the days of inebriated gatherings
of close-knit China scribes in Hong Kong. Sinclair was the leader of the pack,
and his descriptions of crazy stories and eccentric personalities are an
important backdrop to the history of Hong Kong and China. - Kent Ewing
(Mar 20, '08)
|
|
|
|
Ancient
tactics for modern battles
The 36 Secret Strategies of the Martial Arts
by Hiroshi Moriya
The ancient Chinese maxims featured in the book encapsulate some of the Far
East's most cunning tactics for battle and deception. In the end, it's useful,
and surprisingly applicable, advice for how to counter the actions of any tough
opponent - be it in contemporary business, politics, diplomacy or sport. - Michael
Jen-Siu (Mar 14, '08)
|
|
|
|
Bare
bones of Suharto's secrets
Sukarno and the Indonesian Coup by Helen-Louise
Hunter
The tumultuous events of 1965 that led to the end of Sukarno's rule and the
rise of Suharto's New Order regime have been described as some of the most
significant of the 20th century, not just for Indonesia but internationally.
Yet questions linger as to Suharto's role in making things happen and the dark
hand of the United States. - Andrew Symon
(Mar 7, '08)
|
|
|
|
From
local fight to global struggle
Russia's Islamic Threat by Gordon M
Hahn
Although the Chechen war started as a nationalistic exploit, with the desire to
liberate Chechens from Russia and build an independent state, it has
transformed itself into a jihadi movement with global appeal. -
Dmitry Shlapentokh (Feb 29, '08)
|
|
|
|
Hong
Kong and the oral tradition
The Man Who Owned All the Opium in Hong Kong by Jonathan
Chamberlain
Hong Kong's Peter Hui was, at various times, a gambler, a tailor and CIA agent.
At one point he also controlled an awful lot of opium. Hui’s remembrance of his
riotous life give a rare peek at the Hong Kong of yesteryear - the opium dens,
the pool halls, the nightclubs, the casinos and the girls, girls, girls. The
protagonist’s triumphs and tragedies underscore the dynamism of the city and
the times that shaped him. - Kent Ewing
(Feb 22, '08)
|
|
|
|
Unglobalized
at the edges
Bound Together by Nayan Chanda
A noted former journalist joins the ranks of commentators on the modern
globalization phenomenon with an account that avoids hectoring tones while
taking note of the large numbers of people still desperate to join the
globalized network - a population that represents, he says, a moral and
practical challenge to the developed world. - Scott B MacDonald
(Feb 15, '08)
|
|
|
|
Regrettable
apology for Myanmar
Promoting Human Rights in Burma by Morten B Pedersen
A Danish academic and author who favors "constructive engagement" with the
Myanmar junta does himself and his cause no favors with his book. Riddled with
flawed arguments, factual errors and dismissive of the monk protests, the work
is not going to enhance his reputation among Myanmar citizens who favor a
return to democracy. - Bertil Lintner (Feb 8,
'08)
|
|
|
|
One
mainland, two systems
Rural Democracy in China by Baogang He
An in-depth study of China's rural election system finds that the
grassroots semi-competitive polls have given birth to a "mixed regime" that,
despite contradictions, fortifies the Communist Party's supremacy. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Feb 1, '08)
|
|
|
|
Black
turbans rebound
Koran, Kalashnikov and Laptop by Antonio Giustozzi
In this revealing book, the reasons for the resurgence of the "new" Taliban in
Afghanistan are made clear. The internal weaknesses of the Afghan state -
particularly the limp-wristed administration of President Hamid Karzai - opened
the window for the insurgents to re-establish themselves. They also have less
rigid attitudes than their 1994-2001 predecessors towards technologies like the
Internet and video production. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jan 25, '08)
|
|
|
|
A
fresh look at terrorism's roots
Leaderless Jihad by Marc Sageman
Everything the George W Bush administration purports to know about the roots of
terrorism is wrong, and a book that boldly goes where none has gone before
explains why. Case studies show what various members of al-Qaeda have in common
- and it's not what White House experts would have us believe. - David Isenberg
(Jan 18, '08)
|
|
|
|
Smugglers'
blues
Reefer Men by Tony Thompson
Their dreams of one last big score ended with prison terms in the United
States, but before the iron doors shut behind them a diverse group of
Bangkok-based expat drifters, military veterans, a Thai politician and a bar
owner smuggled tons of Thai stick successfully for more than 10 years. Their
lives and high (and low) times are ably recorded in entertaining fashion. - Bertil
Lintner (Jan 11, '08)
|
|
|
|
Beyond
the bombast
The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran by Yossi Melman and Meir
Javedanfar
Much fury and folderol has been spent over Iran's nuclear program and
President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, most driven by fear or near-paranoia. This is an
in-depth, level-headed and enlightening analysis - at one time Tehran's nuclear
ambitions were assisted by the US government - and also covers the
circumstances that brought Ahmadinejad to power. - David Isenberg
(Jan 4, '08)
|
|
|
|
The
secret library of hope
12 books to stiffen your resolve
There's no need to curl up in despair when faced with a grim world. There
are a handful of books that offer a "secret library of hope". None of them deny
the awful things going on, but they approach them as if the future is still
open to intervention rather than an inevitability. In describing how the world
actually gets changed, they give us the tools to change it again. These range
from Aung San Suu Kyi's The Voice of Hope to William Morris'
19th-century utopian novel News from Nowhere. - Rebecca Solnit
(Dec 21, '07)
|
|
|
|
The
great survivor
India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha
Historian Guha presents a critical yet tender portrait of six decades of Indian
independence. Referring to what he calls a "unique patriotism", Guha theorizes
that India's oneness, and its at times surprising indivisibility, are indebted
to an array of liberal freedoms and efficient institutions, among them the
professional civil service, the English language and the cricket team. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Dec 14, '07)
|
|
|
|
A
sad moon rising
Yakuza Moon: Memoirs of a Gangster's Daughter by Shoko
Tendo
This is a vivid and shocking tale of the tumultuous and tragic life of a
daughter of a yakuza crime boss. While her book does not serve up a
detailed guide to the ins and outs of Japan's fabled underworld, it's a candid,
deeply personal and often graphic account of life in the country's underbelly.
- Bertil Lintner (Dec 7, '07)
|
|
|
|
An
over-traveled road
China Road by Rob
Gifford
While the book offers some engaging and colorful reportage for Sino-neophytes,
it's largely familiar territory for old China hands. The author knows his
territory, but lets his Christian moralizing hold sway a little more than he
should when passing judgement on the future of a godless, but not
necessarily immoral, nation of 1.3 billion. - Dinah
Gardner (Nov 30, '07)
|
|
|
|
Non
compos POTUS
Shadow Warriors by Kenneth R Timmerman
Intelligence is an adjunct of war-fighting; it cannot compensate for a
failed plan. Former US president Ronald Reagan won the intelligence war against
the Soviet Union, while George W Bush is losing in the Middle East, because
Reagan's overall war strategy was successful, while the Bush strategy is
flawed. Instead of finding demons in the US intelligence world to blame for
Bush's failure, author Timmerman would do better to study some basic precepts
of logic. - Spengler
(Nov 26, '07)
|
|
|
|
Muslim
democracy: An oxymoron?
Democracy in Muslim Societies
by Zoya Hasan (ed)
Six case studies ranging from Bangladesh to Indonesia examine the variables and
differing paths taken by Muslim politics in the search for democracy. A common
theme is that Islam has been manipulated, but the book falls short by ignoring
non-Muslim countries to see if religion has similarly been manipulated. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Nov 21, '07)
|
|
|
|
Power,
passion and neo-liberalism
The Shock Doctrine
by Naomi Klein
"Masterful journalist" Klein traces neo-liberalism's rise to dominance through
to the "disaster capitalism" practiced in Iraq. It's a towering work, one that
brilliantly follows neo-liberalism's march from marginal theology to universal
policy. - Walden Bello
(Nov 16, '07)
|
|
|
|
'A
necessary evil'
Merchant of Death by Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun
Though Russian Viktor Bout is wanted in Belgium and has been called the "Bill
Gates or Donald Trump of arms trafficking", he is secure in Moscow, overseeing
an enormous shadowy airfleet. The authors' investigative book exposes the
mysterious world in which he operates, aiding Islamic militants in Afghanistan
as as well as ferrying weapons and supplies for the US military. - Bertil
Lintner (Nov 9, '07)
|
|
|
|
Inside
story of the Western mind
Twentieth-Century Catholic Theologians by Fergus Kerr
America's "war on terror" proceeds from a political philosophy that treats
radical Islam as if it were a political movement - "Islamo-fascism" - rather
than a truly religious response to the West. Few Western leaders comprehend
this, and by default, the only effective leader of the West, the man who has
drawn the line in the sand, is Pope Benedict XVI. For those who are concerned
about the West's future, this book is a godsend. - Spengler
(Nov 5, '07) |
|
|
|
Decoding
the enigmatic Republic of Iran
Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies
by Barbara Slavin
This is a masterful job of putting a human face on the largely demonized people
and country of Iran. With clear-eyed insight and interviews that range from the
inner sanctums of the White House to the slums of Tehran, the book strips away
the stereotypes to reveal a complex Iran that belies the popular US view.
(Nov 2, '07) |
|
|
|
Deconstructing
Cambodia's modernist heritage
Building Cambodia by Helen Grant Ross
and Darryl Leon Collins
The little-known period of Cambodia's post-colonial/pre-Killing Fields Khmer
architectural renaissance is lovingly documented. At the urging of quixotic
Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodian architects, engineers and town planners
between 1953 and 1970 combined Western modernist forms, materials and functions
with traditional Cambodian designs for a unique low-rise form that now finds
itself threatened by cookie-cutter glass towers. - Andrew
Symon (Oct 26, '07) |
|
|
|
A
GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED
Intellectual fallacies of the 'war
on terror'
The Matador's Cape: America's Reckless Response to Terror
by Stephen Holmes
Chalmers Johnson finds this book
to be a "powerful and philosophically erudite survey of what we think we
understand about the 9/11 attacks - and how and why the United States has
magnified many times over the initial damage caused by the terrorists". Holmes
has cleared away the underbrush and prepared the way for the public
to address this more or less taboo subject. (Oct 23,
'07)
|
|
|
|
Embattled
frontier
Lost Opportunities. 50 Years of
Insurgency in the North-East and India's Response by SP
Sinha
In detailing the myriad conflicts and insurrections that have long plagued
India's "Seven Sister" northeast states, author, scholar and soldier S P Sinha
lays most of the blame on unsavory outside influences and linkages in
Bangladesh, Myanmar and China rather than ethnic conflict or Delhi's own
mismanagement of the situation. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Oct 12, '07) |
|
|
|
Reaping
what is sown
The Age of Turbulence
by Alan Greenspan
Greenspan became the public face of, and far and away the most important single
personage representing, the triumphal capitalist revolution that would come to
rule the planet. Yet at times his book reads more like a sales manager
reporting the quarter's results to the home office. And the former Fed chief
takes no blame for all the rescues that acted to reward those who engaged in
moral hazard. - Julian Delasantellis
(Oct 5, '07) |
|
|
|
'Television
is my lie'
Hong Kong on Air
by Muhammad Cohen
This is a comic romp through the frenetic world of television news at the time
of Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997. For aficionados
of the handover story this is a worthy though over-long read. And, of course,
peace between the Muhammads and the Cohens can't help but be a good thing. - Kent
Ewing (Sep 28, '07) |
|
|
|
A
comparative failure
Infrastructure Growth in India and China: A Comparative Study
edited by Dhandapani Alagiri
It has always been tempting to make comparisons about Asia's two giants, but
because their systems of governance are so different, it is not always helpful
to do so. Hence even if this book had done a better job at accomplishing the
promise of its title, it probably still would not have ended up being
particularly useful. - David Simmons
(Sep 21, '07) |
|
|
|
That
'800-pound gorilla' ...
Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the
United States by Trita Parsi
Nothing is as it seems in the Middle East, and author Trita Parsi sheds light
on the dark, back-door wheeling and dealing among supposed enemies - Israel,
Iran and the US - going back decades. The book is a timely and important read
for anybody who wants push back the essentialist arguments that suggest an
impending clash of ideologies. - Khody Akhavi
(Sep 14, '07) |
|
|
|
No,
it's the dog that wags the tail
The Israel Lobby and US Foreign
Policy by John J Mearsheimer and Stephen M Walt
This controversial book argues that client state Israel and its allies in the
US are leading the US government to engage in policies that are manifestly
against its interests - a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. Nothing
could be further from the truth. The US has been using Israel to fulfill its
policy objectives for decades, and will continue to do so. - Mark LeVine
(Sep 7, '07) |
|
|
|
Lodestar
of liberty
Perfect Hostage: A Life of Aung San Suu Kyi by Justin Wintle
The world's "best-known prisoner of conscience", Aung San Suu Kyi, certainly
deserves a full biography, and British historian Wintle has provided a
comprehensive one. Detained for years under house arrest, she may never come to
power, but the meaning of her exemplary life lies in the more eternal motto,
"Never give up." - Sreeram Chaulia (Aug 31,
'07)
|
|
|
|
The
ultimate global battle
Boeing Versus Airbus by John Newhouse
The jumbo jet is the icon of globalization; the competition between Boeing and
Airbus is the iconic rivalry. A major theme of this excellent business book is
how the US company has had to rethink and reshape its business practices to
match more closely those of Airbus. On a larger scale, it is not unlike what
the US will have to do to compete with another upstart, China. - Benjamin A
Shobert (Aug 24, '07)
|
|
|
|
India's
silent warriors
The Kaoboys of R&AW: Down Memory Lane by B Raman
This new book by a former insider lays bare the successes and failures of
India's external intelligence agency. A treasure trove of unknown information
and incidents, the book is a frank account of cloak-and-dagger agents who
defended Indian interests through the years. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Aug 17, '07)
|
|
|
|
Asian
drama
The New Asian Power Dynamic, edited by M K Rasgotra
China, Japan, India, Russia and the US are the five nations whose actions will
determine war and peace, prosperity or poverty in the 21st century. How they
interact with one another is of prime concern to everyone. This edited volume
of essays by eminent Indian scholars and diplomats illuminates this complex
interplay. - Sreeram Chaulia (Aug 10, '07)
|
|
|
|
The
child of social Darwinism
The Geopolitics Reader, edited by Gearoid O Tuathail, Simon Dalby
and Paul Routlege
For the Anglo-American West, geopolitics has long been suspect. Its promotion
of the Eurasian "heartland" as the key to world domination did not jibe with
the Anglo-American world view. But with the fall of the Soviet Union,
geopolitics, embraced by neo-conservatives, is making a comeback, as
exemplified by this collection of essays. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
(Aug 3, '07)
|
|
|
|
India
on the mind
Planet India by Mira Kamdar
The future of the 21st century could well lie with India, writes Kamdar, who
believes that the developing nation's combination of democracy and innovation
has the ability to transform the world as other nations, including China and
the United States, cannot. - Scott B MacDonald
(Jul 27, '07)
|
|
|
|
North
Korea's no Mozambique
North of the DMZ by Andrei Lankov
Why is so much ink spilled about a country that is about as big and
consequential as Mozambique? That is the question raised and answered in Andrei
Lankov's new compilation of essays about North Korea. The obvious answer is
nukes, but once that issue is laid to rest, North Korea will fall off the
global radar screen and become just another, well, Mozambique. - Sunny Lee
(Jul 20, '07)
|
|
|
|
India's
holy grail
Back from Dead by Anuj Dhar
The uncertain fate of revered Indian nationalist "Netaji" Subhas Chandra Bose
has long been a cause celebre that has gripped the subcontinent since
his sudden disappearance in 1945. Did he die in an aircraft crash in Taipei? Or
flee to the Soviet Union, only to vanish in the gulag? Or reappear as an
enigmatic holy man in northern India? In this exhaustively researched book,
investigative journalist Anuj Dhar uncovers riveting evidence that goes a long
way in unraveling the riddles, myths and cover-ups surrounding Bose's fate. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Jul 13, '07)
|
|
|
|
Faith:
Part of the problem
God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens
The reviewer, Ioannis Gatsiounis, places Hitchens' screed against
religion in the context of deeply Muslim Malaysia, where Hitchens' arguments
for the supremacy of reason may not resonate.
(Jul 6, '07)
|
|
|
|
The
day Britannia sailed away
Farewell, My Colony by Todd Crowell
The commemoration this Sunday of Hong Kong's first decade under Chinese rule
since its mostly peaceful handover may not seem important to those who have not
been directly touched by this unique city. This book, written as the events
transpired, may change their mind as it offers a glimpse of the colony's last
days, and the formative days of the new special administrative region. David
Simmons takes a look back, and talks to the author about the future.
(Jun 29, '07)
|
|
|
|
How
to project 'soft power'
The First Resort of Kings by
Richard T Arndt
The timing of this book's publication is superb, coming at the nadir of a US
administration that gives many people the impression that war is a first resort
rather than a last resort. Arndt looks back at US history to provide many
examples of cultural diplomacy, which is a force for mutual understanding that
emphasizes long-term relations between countries. - Martin A Schell
(Jun 22, '07)
|
|
|
|
The
adaptive power
Japan Rising by Kenneth Pyle
The author argues that for all the restlessness and rebelliousness of the
present Heisei generation, Japan's national purpose is still being defined as a
reflex reaction to the international environment rather than as an innovative
home-bred will that can mold the world order. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jun 15, '07)
|
|
|
|
More
pro-Bush than Bush
In Defense of the Bush Doctrine
by Robert G Kaufman
Not many people defend the Bush Doctrine these days. This new book gives
Bushism a spirited, if not very convincing, defense. Considering that many
neo-conservatives have abandoned any attempt to argue that the Iraq war was
well managed, it is surprising to come across a reasonably thoughtful author
still willing to defend US President George W Bush to the hilt. - Colin Dueck
(Jun 8, '07)
|
|
|
|
Greek
tragedy
At the Center of the Storm by George Tenet
This is a "defensive memoir", a book written to plead the author's case against
the legion of accusations leveled against him. And yet it is far more than one
man's plea for understanding: it goes to the heart of the failures and, yes,
many successes in the "war against terror" before and after September 11, 2001
- and who really was responsible for the war in Iraq. - Elbridge Colby
(May 25, '07)
|
|
|
|
An
appeal for empire
Theology of Discontent by Hamid Dabashi
This book traces the trajectory of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 from its
roots in anti-nationalism and back. The revolution followed a
familiar path: after starting with an appeal for social justice, in the end it
returned to justifying the might of the state. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
(May 18, '07)
|
|
|
|
The
uses and limits of 'soft power'
Charm Offensive by
Joshua Kurlantzick
The author takes the concept of "soft power", first enunciated by Harvard's
Joseph Nye, and develops it in the context of China's international "charm
offensive". This book is in essence about two things: China's utilization of
its growing soft power, but also the vacuum of soft power and influence an
emasculated US is leaving behind. - Benjamin A Shobert
(May 11, '07)
|
|
|
|
Arm
thy neighbor
Militia Redux by Desmond
Ball and David Scott Mathieson
Paramilitaries flourished in Thailand in the 1960s, when the government felt
under threat by communist forces. The old threats are history, but the
paramilitaries remain, with new mandates - to help maintain security along the
still-volatile Thailand-Myanmar border and, more controversially, to suppress
insurgency in the Muslim-dominated southern provinces. This book is an
impressively detailed account of these forces. - Bertil Lintner
(May 10, '07)
|
|
|
|
The
longest jihad
India, Pakistan and the Secret Jihad by Praveen Swami
When people think of jihad, their minds go back as far as, say, the anti-Soviet
resistance movement in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Yet journalist Praveen Swami
traces the jihad against India's control over Kashmir and Jammu back to
partition in 1949. Anyone wanting to know the parameters of the "long war"
against militant Islam need look no further. - Sreeram Chaulia
(May 4, '07)
|
|
|
|
Compromising
ideologies
Inside Hamas by Zaki Chehab
The election of Hamas last year was a turning point in Palestinian history with
ramifications that will be felt for years. London-based Arab journalist Zaki
Chehab provides in this book a colorful first-hand account of the movement,
both loved and hated, that must play a central role in any resolution of the
Israeli-Arab conflict. - Simon Martelli (Apr
27, '07) |
|
|
|
SPENGLER
Tolkien's Christianity and the
pagan tragedy
The Children of Hurin, by J
R R Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien
J R R Tolkien was the most Christian of 20th-century writers, because he
uniquely portrayed the tragic nature of the paganism that Christianity
replaced. This book, begun in Tolkien's youth and diligently reconstructed by
his son, is set 6,000 years before The Lord of the Rings and sheds light
on that famous work's greater purpose. (Apr 23, '07) |
|
|
|
Close,
but not too close
China and Iran by John Garver
Should war break out between Iran and the US, would China stay on the
sidelines? Probably, argues John Garver in this valuable modern history of
China-Iran relations. Though the two countries have many common interests and a
similar world view, Beijing would not likely jeopardize its cooperative
economic ties to Washington to come to Tehran's aid. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Apr 5, '07) |
|
|
|
China
and the 'enlightened' West
The Writing on the Wall by Will
Hutton
This book's main thesis - that China's continued economic advance cannot be
sustained within its present political structure - is not original. But it goes
on to examine not only why China needs to acquire "Enlightenment values" - ie,
democracy, checks and balances, the rule of law - but why the West needs to
reclaim them. - Tony Norfield (Mar 30, '07) |
|
|
|
The intellect behind
Islamic radicalism
The Power of Sovereignty by Sayed Khatab
Karl Marx and the Prophet Mohammed had at least one thing in common. Their
outlook transcended mere nationalism. That is the main point of Sayyid Qutb's
philosophy, which turned Islam into a sort of replacement for Marxism that
plays an important role in world affairs today. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
(Mar 23, '07)
|
|
|
|
The man who would be
king
Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall and Catastrophic Legacy
by Andrew Cockburn
A fitting way to "celebrate" shock and awe, the bombastic opening of the most
astonishing blunder in recent military/geopolitical history, would be to read
this book about the life of Donald Rumsfeld, a life spent pursuing personal
grandeur at enormous cost to entire nations, including his own. - Pepe Escobar
(Mar 20, '07)
|
|
|
|
The third way for China
The China Fantasy by James Mann
Many people believe that as China grows wealthier and its middle class expands,
it will move inevitably toward democracy. For author James Mann, this is one of
three possible scenarios but is unlikely. China will more likely follow the
third path, growing richer while maintaining authoritarian rule. The middle
class, the vanguard of democracy in other Asian countries, will be an obstacle
to change. - Benjamin A Shobert (Mar 16, '07)
An interview with author James
Mann
|
|
|
|
How to talk business
in China
The Chinese Negotiator by Robert M March and Wu
Su-hua
This business guide provides useful advice on how to negotiate deals with
China's calculating "chain-smoking stoics", whose subtlety, sophisticated
tactics and slow pace make them extremely challenging adversaries for
straightforward, get-right-down-to-business Westerners. - Michael Jen-Siu
(Mar 9, '07)
|
|
|
|
Why brand obsession
is the new status quo
The Cult of the Luxury Brand by Radha Chadha and
Paul Husband
Written by a marketing expert and retail development consultant, this
interesting book examines the social and psychological factors contributing to
Asia's growing affinity for Western luxury goods from the point of view of
those who are in the business of convincing consumers that good is never good
enough. - Kelly Nuxoll (Feb 23,
'07)
|
|
|
|
In the season of SARS
China Syndrome by Karl Taro Greenfeld
This is a compelling account of the deadly 2003 outbreak of the SARS virus that
brought China to the verge of mass panic. The century's first great epidemic
was a bullet dodged. But it will not be the last. - Todd Crowell
(Feb 16, '07)
|
|
|
|
The Roving Eye's grim
world view
Globalistan by Pepe Escobar
If the invasion of Iraq wasn't "about oil", what was it about? Well - it was
about oil, obviously, and so is just about everything else that's going on in
global geopolitics, according to this encyclopedic work by Asia Times Online's Pepe
Escobar. And gas, of course. And nukes. And the ticking time bomb of
angry, teeming billions in globalization-expanded slums. And ... - David Simmons
(Feb 9, '07)
 Read
an excerpt
|
|
|
|
The challenge of
China's rise
In China's Shadow by Reed Hundt
This is a "China book" that really isn't about China. The author uses China
mainly as a mirror to elucidate the changes that the United States needs to
make to be competitive over the long term. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Feb 2, '07)
|
|
|
|
A law unto itself
The Corporation That Changed the World
by Nick Robins
The British East India Company was more than a commercial enterprise. With its
own army, navy and civil service, it was a law unto itself. Nick Robins' new
history paints a hard-nosed picture, devoid of even a scintilla of nostalgia
for the Raj. It is the story of a robber-baron organization that set the model
for today's rapacious multinationals. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jan 26, '07)
|
|
|
|
SPENGLER
Faith and risk
in the Cold War
The President, the Pope and the Prime Minister by John O'Sullivan
This account of the Western victory over communism should have a place in the
medicine cabinet of every literate family, as an antidote to stultifying
academic drivel and self-serving bureaucratic memoirs. Who could have predicted
that a broken-down movie star, a grocer's daughter, and a Polish priest would
become the protagonists of the great conflict of the 20th century's second
half? (Jan 22, '07)
|
|
|
|
An animator's novel
experience
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea and Shenzhen: A Travelogue from
China by Guy Delisle
Jet-set animator Guy Delisle's graphic novels atmospherically depict his life
as a manager of outsourced cartoon production on the frontiers of
globalization, first in China's cultural desert of Shenzhen and later in
Orwellian North Korea. Outsourcing, both of these enjoyable books make clear,
is no picnic. - Fraser Newham (Jan 19, '07)
|
|
|
|
After the battle is won
The Art of Victory by Gregory R Copley
The destruction of one's enemy does not, by itself, constitute "victory",
according to Gregory R Copley's treatise on the subject. What is more important
is what happens after the battle is won. The West may have "won" the Cold War,
but how can one claim "victory" if one's population declines to almost nothing?
- Yoel Sano (Jan 12, '07)
|
|
|
|
Operation bungle Iraq
Imperial Life in the Emerald City
by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
This examination of the US occupation goes a long way in shattering the belief
that the US is a competent hegemon capable of resurrecting broken countries
with finesse. That Americans can be blunderbusses is borne out by this
illuminating portrait of the unspeakable human tragedy of Iraq. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Jan 5, '07)
|
|
|
|
Civilization is at stake
The Age of Fallibility by George Soros
This is a pessimistic book, as one would expect coming from Soros, a trenchant
critic of modern US society. His discussion of such issues as nuclear
proliferation and global warming is grounded in the philosophy of his mentor,
Karl Popper. Nothing is at stake - except maybe the future of civilization
itself. - John Dowd (Dec 15, '06)
|
|
|
|
A new Jerusalem in
sub-Saharan Africa
The New Faces of Christianity
by Philip Jenkins
Westerners have spent the past 400 years in a grand effort to make the world
seem orderly and reasonable without, however, quite suppressing the strangeness
and wonder of life. Now come the new Christians of the Southern Hemisphere,
choosing Christianity over Islam, who confound enlightened Western prejudice .
- Spengler (Dec 11, '06)
|
|
|
|
Salesman of doom
Shopping for Bombs by Gordon Corera
To investigate the story of how Abdul Qadeer Khan became the world's greatest
nuclear proliferator, BBC journalist Gordon Corera scoured news reports and
conducted numerous interviews to create a worrisome tale of greed and failure
of international political will to rein in Pakistan and its evil genius. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Dec 1, '06)
|
|
|
|
A primer for a
transforming West
A Brief Guide to Islam by Paul Grieve
The West has found Islam problematic because recent inflows of Muslim
immigrants have failed to assimilate Western culture. But Muslims watch the
economic deterioration of the West and see no reason to assimilate; on the
contrary, they believe they should be the guides, not the guided. That is why
this book, as the West slowly recognizes the inevitable, is valuable. - Dmitry
Shlapentokh (Nov 22, '06)
|
|
|
|
Mirror of Western inadequacies
The Coming China Wars by Peter
Navarro
Author Peter Navarro poses a conundrum: If China pursues the Western model of
capitalist development, it might overwhelm the world. But why should it be
required to make sacrifices that the West won't ask of its own people? Many
readers will clearly see the problems but have a much vaguer sense about how to
solve them. - Benjamin A Shobert (Nov 17,
'06)
|
|
|
|
When the US made the right moves
Seize the Hour: When Nixon Met Mao by Margaret MacMillan
One of the most seminal meetings of the 20th century was US president Richard
Nixon's 1972 trip to China. The event is worthy of a history and Margaret
MacMillan has provided an admirable one. The irony is that none of the
architects envisaged the close but complex economic partnership that eventually
evolved. - Fraser Newham (Nov 10,'06)
|
|
|
|
Mercenaries
or 'contractors'?
Licensed to Kill
by Robert Young Pelton
A writer who has spent much of his adult life in war zones and other places
most of us would prefer to avoid guides the reader deep into the murky world of
private military and security companies. With precision not seen before, he
examines a world of private operatives who have filled a void since the end of
the Cold War. - David Isenberg (Nov
3, '06)
|
|
|
|
Worm
in the Sunni apple
The Shi'a Revival by
Vali Nasr
Iranian scholar Vali Nasr's book provides a masterly analysis of
Shi'ite-Sunni rivalries that go back to the founding days of Islam and examines
the Shi'ite challenge to Sunni dominance that he believes will reorder the
future of the Middle East and South Asia. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Oct 27, '06)
|
|
|
|
China's
unique rat race
Chinese Lessons by John Pomfret
Journalist Pomfret was present at the beginning. He roomed with seven Chinese
students at Nanjing University in the early 1980s. He expertly weaves the
storylines of these classmates to provide a tremendously readable account of
what China has experienced since it opened to the world. - Jeremy Hurewitz
(Oct 20, '06)
|
|
|
|
Epitaph
to unipolarity
Russian Rubicon: Impending Checkmate of the West by Joseph Stroupe
This book could easily give readers the impression that the Anglo-American
world hegemony is already a thing of the past, with a Russian-led,
energy-defined confederation ready to take its place. To be sure, Russia is on
a comeback, but it still has many problems to overcome. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Oct 13, '06)
|
|
|
|
Bulls
in the China shop
China CEO by Juan Antonio Fernandez and Laurie Underwood
These old China hands' insights into doing business in China are as
refreshingly straightforward as they are useful. Amid their optimism, remember
you're hearing the success stories. - Gary LaMoshi
(Oct 6, '06)
|
|
|
|
The relevance
of Sun Tzu
The Art of War translated
by John Minford
Sun Tzu's classic would seem to provide many lessons that are relevant to
the US and other world powers today. Too bad President George W Bush probably
never read it. Nor is US society as a whole capable of adapting its precepts
without wrenching changes. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
(Sep 29, '06)
|
|
|
|
The state versus society in Iran
Democracy in Iran by Ali Gheissari and Vali Nasr
This new book by two respected Iranian academics explains how the country has
struggled to balance state-building with democracy-building. Yet with
sovereignty vested in God and the supreme leader remaining unelected, Iran is
not quite a democratic state. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Sep 22, '06)
|
|
|
|
CHAN
AKYA
In-Sen!
Identity and
Violence: The Illusion of Destiny by
Amartya Sen
This book is not only tedious, it misses golden opportunities
presented by the everyday experiences of youth in Britain and Saudi Arabia to
find more cogent arguments than the "can't we all just get along" rhetoric. Sen
refuses to evaluate the impact of underlying economic imperatives on social
behavior, instead looking at prejudices as a "given".
(Sep 15, '06)
|
|
|
|
Moving
beyond relationships
Guanxi (The Art of Relationships) by Robert Buderi
and Gregory T Huang
The Mandarin word guanxi basically means "relationships", though there
is more to it than that. The authors examine this concept using the US software
giant Microsoft's experiences in Asia. They show how the company moved beyond
the low-cost paradigm to unlock the creative potential of the Chinese - Benjamin
A Shobert (Sep 1, '06) |
|
|
|
Deadly
double game
The True Face of Jehadis: Inside Pakistan's Network of Terror by Amir
Mir
On the surface, Pakistan seems to be an ally in the "war on terrorism", but
journalist Amir Mir says that in reality jihadis call the shots. Spreading
their tentacles everywhere, they are not just tolerated by the government but
nurtured. He takes Washington to task for its reluctance to act against
Islamabad. - Sreeram Chaulia (Aug
25, '06)
|
|
|
|
Back
to the future in Tibet
The High Road to China by Kate
Teltscher
Coinciding with the great engineering feat of the Golmud-to-Lhasa railroad is
the publication of this lively account of the adventures of George Bogle, an
18th-century Scottish envoy charged with opening Tibet to British goods and,
just maybe, forging a new route into the still-elusive Chinese market. Though
set in a bygone era, the book raises issues that powerfully inform our
understanding of one of the prickly issues of our time. - Fraser Newham
(Aug 18, '06) |
|
|
|
'Long
war' a tragic misstep
Winning the Un-War by Charles
Pena
To paraphrase Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion, for every US foreign-policy
action in the Arab and Islamic world there is an unpredictable, but almost
inevitable, reaction. The author believes Muslims see US foreign policy for
exactly what it is. A better foreign policy - not better spin - is what is
needed. - David Isenberg (Aug 11, '06) |
|
|
|
Lenovo
data do not compute
The Lenovo Affair
by Ling Zhijun (translated by Martha Avery)
This story of Chinese giant Lianxiang, the world's No 3 computer maker, has all
the components to enlighten readers, but it's wired wrong. Too bad no one
applied the company's linked-thinking technology to this telling of its story.
- Gary LaMoshi (Aug 4, '06) |
|
|
|
What
it means to be Lao
Post-war Laos: The Politics of Culture, History and Identity
by Vatthana Pholsena
Laos is composed of 49 distinct ethnic groups, and melding them into a unified
people is no easy task. This new study argues that Laos has succeeded by mixing
the old - such as traditional festivals - with the new, including the cult of
the communist leadership. - Bertil Lintner
(Jul 28, '06) |
|
|
|
On
the ground in Iraq
In the Belly of the Green
Bird by Nir Rosen
First-hand accounts of the reality of the Iraq war are rare. The author
believes through his on-the-ground analysis that Iraq is headed for civil war,
though he has difficulty generating a coherent argument for his view. Still, on
another theme he shows how detested the Americans are after years of war. - Michael
Schwartz (Jul 21, '06) |
|
|
|
Supply
and demand: Doing it the Wal-Mart way
The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman
Opinions differ on whether Wal-Mart is good or bad, but few would dispute that
the retail giant has made a huge impact. The author believes its evangelical
zeal to cut prices has affected its relationships such as in customer loyalty.
Wal-Mart is trying to change its image, the question is whether it can redesign
its smiley face. - Benjamin A Shobert
(Jul 14, '06) |
|
|
|
Calling
Americans back to greatness
The Good Fight: Why Liberals - and Only Liberals - Can Win the War on Terror and
Make America Great Again by Peter Beinart
Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change From Hawaii to Iraq
by Stephen Kinzer
The fundamental divide over US foreign policy is not between left and right,
but between those who subscribe to the myth of the "American Century" and those
who don't. Author Peter Beinart misinterprets the US's intentions for saving
the world. In comparison, Stephen Kinzer's book rightly states that regime
change to serve its own self-interests has long been a mainstay of American
statecraft. - Andrew J Bacevich (Jun 30, '06) |
|
|
|
The
Talibanization of Bangladesh
Bangladesh: The Next Afghanistan? by
Hiranmay Karlekar
Conditions in Bangladesh are ripe for a descent into Islamic
fundamentalism, through the ballot box, violence or even a coup. But this
author doubts that it will fall as deep as Afghanistan under the Taliban.
Bangladesh is more modern, and has secular and democratic traditions and a
larger civil society. - Sudha Ramachandran
(Jun 23, '06) |
|
|
|
SPENGLER
You don't need to be apocalyptic, but it helps
Standing with Israel by David Brog
The importance of evangelical End Time beliefs in shaping US attitudes toward
Israel disturbs enlightened world opinion, and this book will inflame these
concerns. Still, this work is of great use both to critics and to supporters of
US policy. Jews and evangelical Christians are on parallel and complementary -
although utterly different - paths. (Jun 19, '06) |
|
|
|
The
quiet revolution
China and Globalization: The Social, Economic and Political Transformation of
Chinese Society by Doug Guthrie
Guthrie argues that China's rapid economic growth and reduced poverty levels
qualify as a quiet revolution. His main thrust is that transitions from
socialism are better if engineered by a visionary state. What he does not
adequately address is whether the state in this case succeeded because it was
authoritarian. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jun 16, '06) |
|
|
|
Legend
of Arabia
The Osama bin Laden I Know:
An Oral History of al Qaeda's Leader by Peter
Bergen
Buy this book
Peter Bergen, one of the world's leading experts on terrorism, has
written a thorough oral history of the most famous Arab since Gamal Abdel
Nasser. Bergen sees him as a living legend, but still a man whose aim of
setting off a clash of civilizations has not materialized. "Violent tactics
became his only strategy." - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jun 9, '06) |
|
|
|
Some
heroes, many villains
Restless Souls: Rebels, Refugees, Medics and Misfits on the Thai-Burma Border
by Phil Thornton
Australian journalist Thornton has spent the past six years living in the Thai
border town of Mae Sot. It proved a good perch from which to examine life
along the border with Myanmar. He records everything from Karen rebels to drug
dealers to UN fat cats. It is an excellent account of human suffering in a
forgotten conflict. - Bertil Lintner (Jun 2,
'06) |
|
|
|
From
River City to Overnight City
Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present
by Peter Hessler
Buy this book
Peter Hessler chronicled China's hinterland in his award-winning 2001 book River
Town. Now he, and some of his former students, have moved on to the
bright lights of Beijing and Shenzhen (aka "Overnight City"). This is an
engaging portrait of a society in motion. - Fraser Newham
(May 26, '06)
|
|
|
|
SPENGLER
This
time the crocodile won't wait
Londonistan by Melanie
Phillips
Buy this book
Britain, the author warns, is reaping what it has sown. A large minority of
British Muslims are disaffected at best and seditious at worst. The West
inevitably faces a religious war with Islam, and this book provides
indispensable background to why this is so, and why the warnings are unheeded,
as were warnings in the leadup to World War II. (May
22, '06)
|
|
|
|
The
accumulation of the wretched
Planet of Slums by Mike Davis
Buy this book
Urbanologist Mike Davis has painted a portrait of the future, and it isn't
pretty: "a grim world largely cut off from the subsistence and solidarity of
the countryside ... disconnected from the cultural and political life of the
traditional city". What Davis describes is today's reality in Baghdad and Sao
Paulo; tomorrow, it is likely, Dhaka, Jakarta and Mumbai. - Pepe Escobar
(May 19, '06)
|
|
|
|
Fear
and reporting in Indonesia
In the Time of Madness: Indonesia on the Edge of Chaos
by Richard Lloyd Parry
Buy this book
Indonesia has been more progressive since the late 1990s, but this
book recalls Suharto's authoritarian regime when fear was a part of life. This
modern-day Heart of Darkness depicts a dark time in the country's
history, and though things have changed for the better, some old evils linger.
- Scott B MacDonald (May
12, '06)
|
|
|
|
The
loose supercannon
The Age of War: The United States Confronts the World
, by Gabriel Kolko
Buy this book
This is no anti-Bush rant. In fact it goes surprisingly easy on the US
president. Military adventurism, foreign policy debacles, even the doctrine of
preemption are not Bush inventions, but have been features of 55 years of
US bungling around the world. Now Bush is facing the consequences, while
demonstrating that he too has learned nothing from history and can bungle with
the best of them. - Allen Quicke |
|
|
|
China
as a US enemy
China: The Gathering Threat
by Constantine C Menges
Buy this book
The author regarded China as the only real threat to US existence - even the
events of September 11, 2001, didn't change his mind. But his thinking is
flawed for various political and economic reasons. Still, the book provides
insight into the world of the neo-con Washington elite and Iraq and Afghanistan
war planning. - Dmitry Shlapentokh (Apr 21, '06)
|
|
|
|
A
preordained catastrophe
Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
by Michael Gordon and General Bernard Trainor
Buy this book
None of the authors of the invasion of Iraq, who envisaged US troops being
welcomed with open arms, sought a diversity of opinions - they were ideologues
who were not ready to let facts interfere with their beliefs. - Alexander
Casella (Apr 12, '06) |
|
|
|
A systems solution to
the Middle East
Israel and the Persian Gulf: Retrospect and Prospect by Gawdat
Bahgat
Buy this book
The Middle East has commanded the attention of analysts for
decades, but few have studied its volatility in terms of its two subsystems -
the Levant (Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) and the Persian Gulf. The author
argues that developments in one subsystem echo in the other and that regionwide
peace has to address sources of instability in both. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Apr 7,
'06)
|
|
|
|
The fanatic's mindset
Knowing the Enemy: Jihadist Ideology and the War on Terror
by Mary Habeck
Buy this book
The author insists it would be wrong to conclude terror groups have nothing to
do with Islam. In fact, jihadis live and enact a literal clash of civilizations
in which good, virtuous and true Islam is expected to triumph. But her ideas
for eliminating jihadis through democratization - a leaf taken straight out of
the neo-con blueprint of the Bush administration - are naive. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Mar 31, '06)
|
|
|
|
No risk management, no reward
Risk Management and Innovation in Japan, Britain and the United States,
edited by Ruth Taplin
Buy this book
You may have thought risk management was a dull subject, but this
thought-provoking collection of essays will probably make you reconsider.
Planet Earth is awash with domestic and international risks that can seriously
affect business. - Sean Curtin
(Mar 24, '06)
|
|
|
|
SPENGLER
Memo to China: Careful what you wish for
Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher
Buy this book
A generation from now, hundreds of millions of Chinese will have lived with
prosperity long enough to ask whether there is more to life than shopping. This
book will leave them wondering whether the US is a role model, a horrible
example, or a bit of both. (Mar 20, '06)
|
|
|
|
Bremer: 'Marching as to war'
My Year in Iraq by L Paul Bremer
Buy this book
There were gasps of disbelief in Washington when L Paul Bremer was chosen to
head Iraq's Coalition Provisional Authority. His analysis of his 14 months in
Baghdad doesn't lend any more credence to the appointment - nothing is more
terrifying than ignorance in action. - Alexander Casella
(Mar 17, '06)
|
|
|
|
His kingdom for a book
Saudi Arabia Exposed: Inside a Kingdom in Crisis by John
R Bradley
Buy this book
John R Bradley got lucky when he got a job as editor of the Arab News - it gave
him access to many restricted parts of Saudi Arabia and allowed him to live
where he wished. However, his book on the kingdom falls short, leaving the
reader with a confusing mix of personal musings and critical analysis. -
Carl Senna (Mar 10, '06)
|
|
|
|
Another
casualty of the 'war on terror'
For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism under Fire by
James Yee and Aimee Molloy
Buy this book
Former army captain and Guantanamo chaplain James Yee's autobiography details
his arrest on later-dismissed espionage charges. Instead of putting this
American Muslim on a pedestal to help alleviate misunderstandings about Islam,
the authorities tried to destroy him. - Imran Andrew Price
(Mar 3, '06)
|
|
|
|
Guantanamo, banzai and all
that
The Anguish of Surrender by Ulrich Straus
Buy this book
Disturbing similarities exist between Japan's Bushido Empire of 1941-45 and
America's Bush Empire since 2001. They're evident when reading this book
together with a UN report that concludes the sole purpose of the US Guantanamo
Bay prison is to evade the Geneva Conventions' safeguards. -
Ian Williams (Feb 24, '06)
|
|
|
|
East Asia's black sheep
North Korea. The Politics of Regime Survival
by Young Whan Kihl and Hong Nack Kim (eds)
Buy this book
North Korea's domestic politics and foreign relations are in a devastated
condition, yet Kim Jong-il's longevity has proved many soothsayers wrong. How
he can juggle the contradictions brought out in this book and yet remain in
power is the big question. East Asia will rest easier when the answer is found.
- Sreeram Chaulia
(Feb 17, '06)
|
|
|
|
Ideology? Don't you believe
it
US-China Cold War Collaboration, 1971-1989, by S Mahmud Ali
Buy this book
The focal point of the US-China Cold War collaboration was a fear of the rising
power of the USSR - the US frightened China with the possibility of Soviet
attacks. The most important theme of the book is that ideology and
sociopolitical differences are in most cases meaningless in understanding
global affairs. - Dmitry Shlapentokh (Feb 10,
'06)
|
|
|
|
Rebuilding pangs
Come Back to Afghanistan. A California Teenager's Story by Said
Hyder Akbar
Buy this book
California undergrad Akbar took a hands-on, sometimes disturbing look at
post-Taliban Afghanistan. Visits to his father's homeland produced a book that
questions whether carnivorous neighboring states and home-bred war profiteers
will allow the country to rebuild its institutions and stability. - Sreeram
Chaulia (Feb 3, '06)
|
|
|
|
Whose English is it?
Asian Englishes: Beyond the Canon
by Braj B Kachru
Buy this book
Kachru claims that most people who speak English nowadays live in
Asia, and so anglophones in this region have the right to establish their own
canons of correctness and creativity. He celebrates the use of English as a
medium for writers in India, Singapore and elsewhere to express their own
culture. But some Asian Englishes seem to be more equal than others. - Martin A
Schell (Jan 27, '06)
|
|
|
|
Crown prince's 'happiest
time'
The Thames and I by Crown Prince Naruhito
Buy this book
Little is known about the private lives of Japan's imperial family. But a book
by the crown prince on his time as a student at Oxford offers a glimpse - a
sensitive man who could hold his liquor. Though no masterpiece, it offers a
rare look at the man who will one day occupy the Chrysanthemum Throne. -
J Sean Curtin (Jan 20, '06)
|
|
|
|
The globalization of
terror
Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie
Buy this book
Rushdie plunges into the viscera of terrorism's interconnectedness - how dots
of violence, justice and revenge link across time and space in blood-soaked
lines. And he postulates that the germ of hate is inherent in individuals.
- Sreeram Chaulia (Jan
13, '06)
|
|
|
|
Epidemic of bird flu
books
Everything You Need to Know about Bird Flu ... by Jo
Revill
Buy this book
The latest bird flu book is comprehensive, though sometimes overly dramatic.The
problem with books such as this is the short shelf life - death tolls rise,
more discoveries are made about the disease and drugs to treat it, and
outbreaks spread and recede. - Dinah Gardner
(Jan 6, '06)
|
|
|
|
Controlling
the beast
Exit the Dragon?, edited by Stephen Green and Guy S Lin
Buy this book
This collection of essays traces China's movement from the
highly centralized and inefficient economy of Mao Zedong's era to a market
economy, albeit slowly. But the authors ignore the importance of a centralized
and repressive government in this process. - Dmitry
Shlapentokh (Dec 22, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
decline of the US economy
Three Billion New Capitalists
by Clyde Prestowitz
Buy this book
While much of the world community wishes to diminish the US role in global
affairs, few wish it to collapse economically, due to the shock waves it would
create. But the decline has already set in. - Dmitry
Shlapentokh (Dec 16, '05)
|
|
|
|
Indian vs
American secularism
The Wheel of Law
by Gary Jeffrey Jacobsohn
Buy this book
In a comparison of Indian secularism with that of the US and Israel, the author
argues that in India there has been no attempt to artificially water down the
impact of religion on social and political life, unlike in the US. -
Aruni Mukherjee (Dec 9, '05)
|
|
|
|
Indian culture
and heterodoxy under scrutiny
The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen
Buy this book
Nearly 60 years after Indian independence, economist Amartya Sen offers a
treatise on modern Indian society, as well as an alternative look at ancient
India. He manages to convey the complexity, diversity and heterodoxy of Indian
thought throughout the country's history - though the reader is left wishing he
went a bit further. - Kedar Deshpande (Dec
2, '05)
|
|
|
|
Indispensable handbook
for global theopolitics
The Star of Redemption by Franz Rosenzweig
Buy this book
With the return of religion to world politics, today's intellectual elite feels
something like Marx's mad Englishman in a lunatic asylum. To such perplexed
people, this book, in a new English translation, is recommended, but with a
caveat: it might cure them of secularism. - Spengler (Nov
21, '05)
|
|
|
|
The evolution of
Hinduism
Was Hinduism Invented? by Brian
K Pennington
Buy this book
It is difficult to pin down how Hinduism evolved into a modern religion. The
author argues that the modern avatar of the somewhat homogenized ancient
religion that can be loosely termed Hinduism is a direct reaction to seething
and degrading criticism from colonial academics. - Aruni Mukherjee
(Nov 11, '05)
|
|
|
|
For reasons of state
Deadly Connections. States That
Sponsor Terrorism by Daniel Byman
Buy this book
States create, nurture and to a strong degree control terrorist groups to suit
their own objectives. The book shatters the myth that non-state terrorist
groups have taken over the sordid business of deliberate violence against
civilians. - Sreeram Chaulia (Nov
4, '05)
|
|
|
|
A glimpse
into North Korean thinking
North Korea: The Paranoid Peninsula -
A Modern History by Paul French
Buy this book
North Korea is now effectively an "aid economy" where foreign assistance is
used by the government to ensure its own survival, quite often at the
expense of its people, argues the author, who makes some good points, but
misses the mark in other areas. - Michael Mackey
(Oct 28, '05)
|
|
|
|
Keeping
China out of focus
Regional Powerhouse: The Greater Pearl River Delta and the Rise of
China by Michael J Enright, Edith E Scott and Ka-mun
Chang
Buy this book
A study of economic linkages between Hong Kong and its mainland neighbors
highlights a disturbing trend: the more that's written about China, the less we
seem to know. That's not because the issues are so complex. -
Gary LaMoshi (Oct 21, '05)
|
|
|
|
Might versus
right
Tibet and China in the Twenty-First Century. Non-Violence Versus State
Power by John Heath
Buy this book
China has military superiority and global power status. Tibet only
has international law, world opinion, spirituality and right on its side.
That means Tibetans need a better hand if they want to win autonomy. This
author believes Tibetans can draw on already-established precedents employed by
China. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Oct 14, '05)
|
|
|
|
Driving American foreign
policy
The Endgame of Globalization by Neil Smith
Buy this book
Is the US akin to Nazi Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union or even Caesar's Rome?
The book argues that the US as the embodiment of capitalism is the most
aggressive nation, with its imperial drive defining its foreign policy. The
Iraq war is a continuation of this trend. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
(Oct 7, '05)
|
|
|
|
Do you call that an
empire?
Imperial Grunts by Robert Kaplan
Buy this book
The tattooed, tobacco-chewing, iron-pumping soldiers who make up much of the US
Army simply cannot be compared to the soldier-scholars who made the British
Empire. Therein lies the great difference between America's global police
exercise and a true empire. And as Americans have no empire, there is nowhere
to extract wealth. - Spengler (Oct 3, '05)
|
|
|
|
In
the heart of a volcano
Inheriting Syria. Bashar's Trial By Fire, by
Flynt Leverett
Buy this book
The
US and Syria have never been buddies, but the book argues that a
carrot-and-stick policy of conditional US engagement with Syria would work
better than the "deranged" neo-conservative penchant for forcible regime
change. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Sep 30, '05)
|
|
|
|
Follow
the money
Capitalism's Achilles Heel: Dirty Money and How to Renew the Free-Market
System by
Raymond Baker
Buy this book
The vaunted US crackdown on money-laundering after September 11, 2001 has left
wide loopholes, with Western banks happy to get their hands dirty. After
reading this book, when someone mentions dirty money, you won't just think of
the Cali drug cartel or corrupt dictators. - Gary LaMoshi
(Sep 23, '05) |
|
|
|
The
whitewash thickens
The WMD Mirage: Iraq's Decade of Deception and
America's False Premise for War, edited and with an
introduction by Craig R Whitney
Buy this book
President George W Bush used faulty intelligence information to justify
invading Iraq. Journalist Whitney edits a volume that puts together a variety
of sources that examine the issue, yet all he manages to do is add layers to
the incestuous fabrication surrounding weapons of mass destruction. - Piyush
Mathur (Sep 16, '05) |
|
|
|
Timeless
wisdom, heedless world
Peace is the Way. Bringing War and Violence to an End
by Deepak Chopra
Buy this book
War has worn a groove on American minds - a secret pleasure that brings
excitement and pumps up the adrenalin. Chopra's substitute is the way of peace,
conscious evolution to "love in action", one person at a time. In other words,
all you need is love. - Sreeram Chaulia (Sep 9, '05) |
|
|
|
SPENGLER
Deep in
denial (or in de Mississippi)
The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization
by Bryan Ward-Perkins
Buy this book
and
The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History by
Peter Heather
Buy this book
Hurricane Katrina should put us in the right frame of mind to consider two new
studies on the fall of the Roman Empire. Roman society was as vulnerable as the
Louisiana levees and needed only a smart blow to crumble. What's next?
(Sep 6, '05)
|
|
|
|
Nothing
ventured ...
Investing in China: the Emerging
Venture Capital Industry in China by Jonsson Yinya Li
The venture capital industry is becoming more important in China as further
economic progress requires more domestic technological innovation. Author Li
discusses case studies like Alibaba.com in this comprehensive look at the
rapidly evolving industry. - James Borton
(Sep 2, '05) |
|
|
|
Addressing
Muslim rage
Myth of Islamic Tolerance,
edited by Robert Spencer
Starting from the premise that contemporary Muslim rage and intolerance is not
historically isolated, but rooted in the religion itself, the authors set
about their task with gusto, complete with flagrant distortions and glaring
omissions. All the same, the book has merit. - Ioannis Gatsiounis
(Aug 26, '05)
Buy this book |
|
|
|
Conflict
kaleidoscope
Sri Lanka: Voices From a War Zone
by Nirupama Subramanian
Indian journalist Subramanian puts a very human face to the civil war in Sri
Lanka, objectively speaking to people on both sides of the bloody divide, and
those caught in the middle. Their tales make chilling reading. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Aug 19, '05) |
|
|
|
Literary
crimes of the Daewoo chief
Every Street Is Paved with Gold: The Real Road to Success by Kim
Woo-choong
Daewoo Group founder Kim Woo-choong is anything but humble in his portrayal of
himself as a business mover and shaker. But it would seem his life is a series
of contradictions, not least of which have to do with his ethics. -
James Card (Aug 12, '05) Buy
this book
|
|
|
|
China
as imperialist; China as colonist
China Marches West: The Qing Conquest of Central Eurasia
by Peter Perdue
Taiwan's Imagined Geography: Chinese Colonial Travel Writing and Pictures,
1683-1895 by Emma Jinhua Teng
China would have one believe that all territory captured by the Qing dynasty in
the 17th and 18th centuries had always been a part of China. But new research
suggests areas such as Taiwan are not an integral part of China, which could
further fuel separatist fires. - Macabe Keliher
(Aug 5, '05)
Buy China Marches West Buy
Taiwan's Imagined Geography
|
|
|
|
Diehard
legionnaires
Hizbullah. The Story From Within
by Naim Qassem
Hezbollah is entrenched in Lebanon, still insistent that true believers can
resist forever. An (official) inside look at the organization only tells part
of the story, but enough to look at the mindset of an organization that
continues to prove a thorn in the side of Israel, as well as other
non-believers. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jul 29, '05) Buy
this book
|
|
|
|
Passage
to Stephania
Interesting Times in India: A Short Decade at St Stephen's College
by Daniel O'Connor
Delhi's St Stephen's College was more than just a school in
post-colonial India. It was a mill that produced some of the next generation's
important thinkers and writers - among other talents. Stephen's is seen through
the eyes of an Anglican priest who served there, in the context of
events in the new India. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jul 22, '05) Buy
this book
|
|
|
|
God's
madmen
Suicide Bombers. Allah's New Martyrs by Farhad Khosrokhavar
Why would any normal person want to blow himself and others up? Iranian
intellectual Farhad Khosrokhavar's book argues that Muslim human bombs, far
removed from traditional atavism, are in fact products of modernity and
Westernization. - Sreeram Chaulia (Jul 15, '05) Buy
this book
|
|
|
|
The
specter of two 'isms'
America Right or Wrong: An Anatomy of American Nationalism, by Anatol
Lieven, and The New American Militarism: How Americans are Seduced by
War, by Andrew Bacevich
These books intelligently outline the danger of two "isms" gaining ground in
the US. The first "ism" sees US polity turning its back on civic patriotism and
political egalitarianism in favor of an "American antithesis", a radical and
vengeful nationalism. The second is "creeping militarism", for which the
neo-conservatives bear heavy responsibility. - Jim Lobe
(Jul 8, '05)
Buy The New American Militarism Buy
America Right or Wrong
|
|
|
|
Changing
perceptions
Occidentalism: The West in the Eyes of Its Enemies,
by Ian Buruma and Avishai Margalit.
The general climate of society has changed since September 11, and to blame
everything on the West has become less fashionable. In that regard this book is
important, as it indicates the new intellectual trend in American culture. -
Dmitry Shlapentokh (Jul 1,
'05) Buy
this book
|
|
|
|
Spymaster's
Pandora's box
Open Secrets. India's Intelligence Unveiled, by M K
Dhar
Released at a time when major powers' intelligence agencies face flak for
incompetence and fabrication, this book removes the veil from the Indian
intelligence fraternity, and calls for urgent repairs. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Jun 17, '05) Buy
this book
|
|
|
|
Playing
the markets before they play you
Market Panic: Wild Gyrations, Risks, and Opportunities in Stock Markets,
by Stephen Vines
Vines offers an intelligent analysis of what really drives the stock
markets today and how smart investors can profit from bucking the trends. This
book, instead of all the legal mumbo-jumbo in brokerage account disclaimers,
should be required reading for anyone who dares invest in equities. - Gary
LaMoshi (Jun 10, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
Kims' North Korea
Under the Loving Care of the Fatherly
Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty, by Bradley K
Martin
By successfully combining history, society, travel writing and political
analysis, this book is as much a biography of North Korea as it is of the two
Kims. The topic often makes for disconcerting reading; yet it is essential to
understanding where North Korea and the Kims have come from, and where they may
be going. A must read. - Yoel Sano
(Jun 3, '05)
|
|
|
|
Dauntless
journalism
Al-Jazeera: How Arab TV News Challenged the World, by Hugh
Miles
Despite being demonized by the West as a "mouthpiece for terrorists",
al-Jazeera has spearheaded an information metamorphosis in the Arab world,
while also counterbalancing the US's propaganda empire. Miles eloquently
explains how. - Sreeram Chaulia (May 27, '05)
|
|
|
|
Bowled
over in Pakistan
Pundits From Pakistan. On Tour With India, 2003-04,
by Rahul Bhattacharya
Despite being a book about cricket, it's much more than a sports book. From
scenes out of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad to idiots dyeing chickens bright
colors and selling them as exotic pets to even bigger idiots, Pundits is
a charming insight into India's estranged brother nation. - Raja M
(May 21, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
executioner's tale
The Lost Executioner, by Nic Dunlop
As the trial of a few surviving top cadre of the Khmer Rouge moves closer,
the author, having found Cambodia's most brutal executioner of the
Pol Pot era, sets about answering the question of why genocide took place,
and does a pretty good job. - Julian Gearing (May
13, '05)
|
|
|
|
Academia
abducted by flying sources
Terrorism and Violence in Southeast Asia, Transnational Challenges to
States and Regional Stability, edited by Paul J Smith
We're subjected to continual warnings that al-Qaeda-franchised terrorist groups
are rampant in Southeast Asia, so we turn to books like this - by the experts
and academics who have made careers out of studying the subject - to find
out how afraid we should really be. All we find is an academic edifice built on
unquestioned assumptions. The PhDs should don dunce's caps and go and join the
mainstream journalists in the corner. - Allen Quicke
(May 9, '05) |
|
|
|
Globalization
ideologues have no clothes
The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy
by Pietra Rivoli
This charming, intelligent narrative debunks myths on both sides of the
globalization debate. Mixing historical perspective with current events, the
book highlights that it's not market forces but avoiding them that creates
winners in world trade. - Gary LaMoshi
(May 6, '05)
|
|
|
|
Himalayan
dilemma
Towards a Democratic Nepal: Inclusive Institutions for a Multicultural
Society by Mahendra Lawoti
When King Gyanendra of Nepal seized the reins of power from politicians in
February, it was the last nail in the coffin of the 1990 constitution, which
had failed to deal with the country's pervasive ethnic, caste and gender
discrimination, among other problems. This book offers a liberal-democratic
alternative to extreme rightist monarchism and leftist Maoism. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Apr 29, '05)
|
|
|
|
Delicious
details from Mughal history
The Mughals of India by Harbans Mukhia
Though delivered "more than a decade" later than its author planned, it arrives
at a time that could not be more appropriate, against the backdrop of
heightened Hindu nationalism within India, on one hand, and the enhanced global
curiosity about the history of Islamic cultures on the other. - Piyush Mathur
(Apr 22, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
world through Democratic eyes
The Choice: Global Domination or Global
Leadership by Zbigniew Brzezinski
Given the writer's credentials, it is not surprising that this book contains
many sound observations about the role of the US in the world today. Yet his
explanation of the problems faced by the US and the broader world seem naive,
and the remedies he proposes hardly workable. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
(Apr 13, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
road to amity
Indian Muslims: Where Have They Gone Wrong? by Rafiq
Zakaria
This 17th book by one of India's most ardent liberal thinkers focuses on the
nefarious role played by Muslim political leaders in impeding communal harmony
before and after Indian independence. Here is an antidote to the politics of
hate eating into the vitals of India - Sreeram Chaulia
(Apr 8, '05)
|
|
|
|
Unilateralism
fails global tests
The Superpower Myth: The Use and Abuse of American Might by Nancy
Soderberg
Contrasting George W Bush's overseas mishaps with the policy she helped craft,
Clinton administration foreign affairs wonk Nancy Soderberg demonstrates that
America's military superiority doesn't mean the US will always get its way. - Gary
LaMoshi (Apr 1, '05) |
|
|
|
Coming
to terms with China
China Inc: How the Rise of the Next
Superpower Challenges America and the World by Ted C
Fishman
The overworked phrase "economic miracle" seems finally to have found true
meaning in China. This highly readable book deftly combines anecdotes and
analysis to help us understand what the challenges are; how to meet them is
another story. - Todd Crowell (Mar
25, '05)
|
|
|
|
Deconstructing
the 'Land of Smiles'
Bangkok Inside Out by Daniel Ziv
and Guy Sharett
Chaotic, crowded, frustrating, romantic, endearing - what other Asian capital
accumulates so many adjectives? And what better way to get to know the Thai
capital than with a book that is as humorous, honest and engaging as most
Bangkokians themselves? This book has it covered, from A to ... well, Y. - Sara
Schonhardt (Mar 23, '05)
|
|
|
|
Jinnah's
unfulfilled vision
The Idea of Pakistan
by Stephen Cohen
With Pakistan Day on March 23, it's a good time to examine what the country
stands for - and what it was meant to stand for when it was founded in 1947.
For those looking for inspiration to set things right in Pakistan, this book
has much to offer - and is a must read for Pakistan's military oligarchs. - Ahmad
Faruqui (Mar 18, '05)
|
|
|
|
More
than just a game
Twenty-Two Yards to Freedom: A Social History of Indian Cricket
by Boria Majumdar
The megalithic proportions cricket has assumed in India is astounding in terms
of its value in national consciousness. This compelling account captures the
euphoria and the politics that have been part of the game ever since the
British carried it to Indian shores in the 18th century. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Mar 4, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
lowdown on Singapore
Does Class Matter? Social
Stratification and Orientations in Singapore by Tan
Ern Ser
This slim academic report should prove useful to professional Singapore
watchers. It should also interest those fishing for an inside and contemporary
sociological scoop on this enigmatic little country - especially if they wish
to assess it as a possible migratory destination. - Piyush Mathur
(Feb 25, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
soul of a city
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found by Suketu Mehta
Capturing the essence of a metropolis of the mythic proportions of Bombay (now
Mumbai)is no easy task. Journalist Suketu Mehta's debut offering stalks the
soul of India's soulless mahanagar (great city) through the medium of
the lives of its heterogeneous residents. The Bombay that emerges is greater
than the sum of its components, a celebration. - Sreeram Chaulia
(Feb 18, '05)
|
|
|
|
A
romp through a troubled world
One Hand, Two Fingers by Gavin
Coates
The expression a picture is worth a thousand words works both ways in
journalism. In the cartoon format, these works of art often stand alone,
illustrating a news event and commenting upon it simultaneously. Of course, if
you're seeking "objectivity", you might be disappointed by Coates' lampooning,
but then these drawings aren't meant to be balanced. - David Simmons
(Feb 11, '05)
|
|
|
|
Abraham's
promise and American power
Abraham's Promise
by Michael Wyschogrod, edited by R Kendall Soulen
Not since Abraham Lincoln has the United States felt itself to be a "nearly
chosen" people, with a religious mission like that of ancient Israel. This
astonishing book reminds that the spirit of American Puritanism might once
again become flesh: US evangelicals might awaken one morning as a New Chosen
People. - Spengler (Feb
7, '05)
|
|
|
|
Not
one but many Islams
The Future of Political Islam by Graham
E Fuller
In its political manifestation, Islam has been
merged, integrated, with various political doctrines that often have nothing in
common with one another - the violence associated with al-Qaeda and the like is
only one aspect of this phenomenon. Here is a useful primer on Islam's role in
the modern world. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
(Feb 4, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
horrors of Unit 731 revisited
A Plague Upon Humanity: The Hidden History of Japan's Biological
Warfare Program by Daniel Barenblatt
The world this week is commemorating the Nazi Holocaust, but Auschwitz was not
the only wickedness of World War II. Germany's Axis partner, Japan, conducted
biowar experiments on human guinea pigs in occupied China for years. Much has
been written on the Japanese Empire's Unit 731, but this work could become a
leader in its field. - Victor Fic (Jan
28, '05)
|
|
|
|
Whatsa
martyr with you?
I Am Charlotte Simmons
by Tom Wolfe
The ingenue of Tom Wolfe's new novel, I Am Charlotte Simmons, by
rights should have been a martyr to debauched university life. By sparing his
protagonist from martyrdom, Wolfe ultimately, rather than holding up the mirror
of tragedy to his public, ultimately gives us a smiley-face - and thereby comes
close to the literary ideal of US neo-conservatives. - Spengler
(Jan 24, '05)
|
|
|
|
Dialogue
for development
Remaking India. One Country, One Destiny by Arun Maira
Maira strongly recommends another class of WMD - Ways of Mass Dialogue - to
synchronize the multifarious - and unique - interests that characterize India,
and its economic shortfalls. - Chanakya Sen
(Jan 21, '05)
|
|
|
|
Brave
nightmare world
The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World
by Paul Roberts
With reporting that is both wide-ranging and insightful, Paul Roberts writes
that the day of reckoning for the oil industry is in sight and the costs when
the oil runs out and the world is forced to confront its energy needs are going
to be staggeringly high. Yet all is not gloom and doom. - David Isenberg
(Jan 14, '05)
|
|
|
|
The
evolutionary museum as government
Pasts Beyond Memory: Evolution, Museums, Colonialism by
Tony Bennet
While exposing the evolutionary museum as a device for socio-cultural
governance and epistemological discipline - an intriguing objective, though
impossibly broad - this book is marred by verbiage, repetition and editorial
negligence, overburdened by factual details, and unaided by the author's
convoluted syntax. - Piyush Mathur (Jan 7,
'05)
|
|
|
|
The
crusade for monoculture
Who Are We? America's Great Debate by Samuel Huntington
The prophet-provocateur of international relations is back to rattle some bones
with a combative teaser on American identity. Americans are exhorted by the
"clash of civilizations" guru to recommit themselves to Anglo-Protestant
culture, the source of their identity and moral leadership of the world. - Chanakya
Sen (Dec 24, '04)
|
|
|
|
The
ghosts of empire: Past, present and future
Enforcing the Peace: Learning from the Imperial Past
by Kimberly Zisk Marten
"Peacekeeping" has evolved from the optimistic altruism of its origins in the
fledgling UN to the 1990s operations in Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo and East
Timor, to what we see today in Afghanistan and Iraq. In other words, today's
"peacekeeping" bears a startling resemblance to the imperialism of a century
ago. Which is why this book ought to find its way into Christmas
stockings in the West Wing. - David Isenberg
(Dec 22, '04)
|
|
|
|
Myanmar's
gritty democratic diaspora
Burma File: A Question of Democracy compiled by Soe
Myint
The hold of the Myanmar military junta may be as tight as ever, but Soe Myint
provides powerful evidence of the gritty survival of democracy outside Myanmar,
especially India, which has been both an exploiter and a benefactor of the
situation in that country. - Piyush Mathur
(Dec 17, '04)
|
|
|
|
Two villages and an
elephant
Engaging India. Diplomacy, Democracy and the Bomb by Strobe
Talbott
As someone who was on the inside track, former US deputy secretary of state
Talbott emerges as a fascinating primary source on the ever-tightening
"strategic partnership" between the US and India. - Chanakya Sen
(Dec 15, '04)
|
|
|
|
A
mainstream embrace for extremism
Indonesia's Struggle: Jemaah Islamiyah and the
Soul of Islam by
Greg Barton
While it's reassuring to believe extremists enjoy minuscule support in
Indonesia, religious scholar Greg Barton's eyewitness account of spiritual and
political trends there indicates that jihad may remain a growth industry in the
world's largest predominantly Muslim country. - Gary LaMoshi
(Dec 10, '04)
|
|
|
|
Rocky
'way' to success in China
The Chinese Tao of Business
by George T Haley, Usha C V Haley and Chin Tiong Tan
It's a Chinese philosophy updated for the
21st century. It's a guide to succeeding in business in mainland China. It's a
fusion recipe mixing the best of Western and Chinese management. Business
professors from the US and Singapore construct a new strategic Silk Road, on
very shaky ground. - Gary
LaMoshi (Dec 3, '04)
|
|
|
|
A march of
mediocrity
Globalization: Culture and Education in the New
Millennium, edited by Marcelo M Suarez-Orozco and Desiree
Baolian Qin-Hilliard
In the already vast sea of academic writing on globalization, this collection
of 10 essays fails to stand out - indeed, seven of its 10 essays are laughably
shallow. Yet stranded within the volume's visceral maze are essays by three
authors who have done their homework and actually have something to say. - Piyush
Mathur (Nov 24, '04)
|
|
|
|
American
missionary 'conquers' eastern Tibet
Pioneer in Tibet by Douglas A Wissing
American missionary Albert Shelton tried but failed to win over the Tibetans to
Christianity during the early 20th century, yet he left a legacy of sterling
medical work and useful insights into the troubled Tibet-China borderlands. - Julian
Gearing (Nov 19, '04)
|
|
|
|
America
undressed
The Empire Has No Clothes: US Foreign Policy Exposed by
Ivan Eland
Eland skillfully and with wit lays out in detail the follies of America's
current course of action in its foreign policies, which are taking it steadily
further away from its historical roots as a republic. - David Isenberg
(Nov 12, '04)
|
|
|
|
The
real American fizz
The Real Thing: Truth and Power at the Coca-Cola Company
by Constance Hays
A biography of the world's best-known brand romanticizes the brown
refreshment's vigor and sparkle while highlighting the murky underworld of
American big business. The tortuous path of Coca-Cola's success also points to
its invincibility, just like the American way of life it mirrors. - Chanakya
Sen (Nov 10, '04)
|
|
More Book
Reviews - Click Here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
All material on this
website is copyright and may not be republished in any form without written
permission.
opyright 1999 - 2010 Asia Times Online
(Holdings), Ltd.
|
|
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong
Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
|
|
|
|
|
|
