International Books - Page 10

Unintended Consequences: How War in Iraq Strengthened America's Enemies

Peter W. Galbraith

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Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Called by New York Times columnist David Brooks the "smartest and most devastating" critic of President George W. Bush's Iraq policies, Peter Galbraith was the earliest expert to describe Iraq's breakup into religious and ethnic entities, a reality now commonly accepted.

The Iraq war was intended to make the United States more secure, bring democracy to the Middle East, intimidate Iran and Syria, help win the war on terror, consolidate American world leadership, and entrench the Republican Party for decades. Instead,

• Bush handed Iran its greatest strategic triumph in four centuries
• U.S. troops now fight to support an Iraqi government led by religious parties intent on creating an Iranian-style Islamic republic
• As part of the surge, the United States created a Sunni militia led by the same Baathists the U.S. invaded Iraq to overthrow administration gave Iran and North Korea a free pass to advance their nuclear programs
• Obsessed with Iraq's nonexistent WMD, the Bush administration gave Iran and North Korea a free pass to advance their nuclear programs
• Turkey, a key NANATO ally long considered a model pro-Western Muslim democracy, became one of the most anti-American countries in the world
• U.S. prestige around the world reached an all-time low

Iraq: Galbraith challenges the assertion that the surge will lead to victory. By creating a Sunni army, the surge has, in fact, contributed to Iraq's breakup and set the stage for an intensified civil war between Sunnis and Shiites. If the United States wishes to escape the Iraq quagmire, it must face up to the reality that the country has broken up and cannot be put back together.

Iran: Having helped Iran's allies take control in Baghdad, the Bush administration no longer has a viable military option to stop Iran's nuclear program. Galbraith discusses how a president more pragmatic than Bush might get Iran to freeze its nuclear program as part of a package deal to upgrade relations between two countries equally threatened by Sunni extremism.

Turkey, Syria, and Israel: A war intended to make Israel more secure, undermine Syria's Assad regime, and strengthen ties with Turkey has had the opposite result.

Nationalism: In the coming decades, other countries may follow Iraq's example in fragmenting along ethnic and religious lines. Galbraith draws on his considerable experience in Iraq and the former Yugoslavia to predict where and what the United States might do about it.

The United States: George W. Bush substituted wishful thinking for strategy and as a result made America weaker. Galbraith provides some rules for a national strategy that will appeal equally to conservatives and liberals -- indeed, to anyone who believes the United States needs an effective national security strategy.

God and Gold: Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World (Vintage)

Walter Russell Mead

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Why Doesn't The World Understand Us? 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

[Note; this is an abridged version of my complete Review which appears on the Claremont Institute website, on July 17, 2008]

In his new book, 'God and Gold', foreign affairs expert Walter Russell Mead argues that modern world history can be understood as the global application of a system of economics, religion, and culture that has been unilaterally developed and directed by the English-speaking peoples. From the time of Oliver Cromwell to the present, the British and the Americans, either individually or together, have won every major war, and have established a commercial and military dominance that remains the foundation of the modern world. "It is perhaps bad manners to say so," Mead acknowledges, "but that does not make it less true."
Within this context, Mead addresses questions which he believes can help us better understand and handle the problems and dangers that confront America today. As he goes through his discussion of these questions, the strengths of the book include his authoritative mastery of historical, political, and economic facts, which he uses liberally to support his argument, and his ability to weave together cultural, religious, economic, and political strands of history into a fascinating, well-written, and coherent synthesis that explains a great deal. The weaknesses of the book include a sometimes-overbearing repetitiveness of key points, and in the end a rather unsatisfying response to the major contemporary criticisms of Anglo-American culture. Nonetheless, the book is a very worthwhile read, both for its historic sweep, and most importantly for Mead's lucid and useful suggestions regarding the future of American foreign policy.

Editorial Review:

A stunningly insightful account of the global political and economic system, sustained first by Britain and now by America, that has created the modern world.

The key to the two countries' predominance, Mead argues, lies in the individualistic ideology inherent in the Anglo-American religion. Over the years Britain and America's liberal democratic system has been repeatedly challeged—by Catholic Spain and Louis XIV, the Nazis, communists, and Al Qaeda—and for the most part, it has prevailed. But the current conflicts in the Middle East threaten to change that record unless we foster a deeper understanding of the conflicts between the liberal world system and its foes.

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia

Peter Hopkirk

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 88 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Definitely history come alive... 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I won't repeat too much of the praise already heaped upon this book, other than to say it is well deserved. Hopkirk has a very engaging writing style that makes it very difficult to put the book down.

Just a few notes:

- Hopkirk does a good job of staying on topic in a book that encompasses many regions and personalities. Often this means he has choosen to not take certain stories to their conclusion or lay all the groundwork for certain narratives. It can leave you wanting more in some cases, but the alternative would be a two thousand page book.

- A reviewer complained about the maps, but I must say I was most impressed with them. Almost every place he mentions is marked on the maps. Obviously if you want a larger context to the area you may need to visit an atlas or google maps, but after that the maps in the book follow the text quite closely.

- The book is certainly from the British perspective because at the time of writing that was where most of the source material came from and the author is British as well. That said, I don't think this was one sided as the author is clearly critical of the British motives in many circumstances and has outlined the conflicting Russian motives reasonably well.

In any case, a top notch book you won't regret reading.

Editorial Review:

This "immensely readable and magisterially detached work" (Financial Times) is the story of the great imperial struggle for strategic and economic supremacy fought across a cruel and desolate terrain stretching from the Caucasus to China--espionage and treachery on a grand scale and in exotic settings. 39 photographs. 5 maps.

Surrender Is Not an Option: Defending America at the United Nations

John Bolton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 54 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

With no-holds-barred candor, the straight-talking former ambassador to the United Nations takes readers behind the scenes at the UN and the U.S. State Department and reveals why his efforts to defend American interests and reform the UN resulted in controversy. A veteran of three Republican administrations and a nominee for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, Bolton shows how the U.S. can lead the way to a more realistic global security arrangement for the twenty-first century and identifies the next generation of threats to America.

The son of a Baltimore firefighter and the first person in his family to go to college, with scholarships to Yale University and Yale Law School, John Bolton studied with preeminent conservative thinkers Robert Bork and Ralph Winter. After law school, he experienced the "Reagan Revolution" firsthand in Edwin Meese's justice department -- where the American judiciary was fundamentally reshaped. His diplomatic skills were honed working with Secretary of State James Baker during the presidency of George H. W. Bush, and serving in the administration of President George W. Bush as Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs.

In this revealing memoir, he candidly recounts his appointment in 2005 as Ambassador to the United Nations, his headline-making Senate confirmation battle, which resulted in his recess appointment, and his sixteen-month tenure at the United Nations. Bolton offers keen insight into such international crises as North Korea's nuclear test, Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, the genocide in Darfur, the monthlong negotiation that produced the controversial end of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, and more. Recounting both his successes and frustrations in taking a hard line against weapons-of-mass destruction proliferators, terrorists, and rogue states such as North Korea and Iran, he also exposes the operational inadequacies that hinder the UN's effectiveness in international diplomacy and its bias against Israel and the United States. At home, he criticizes the pernicious bureaucratic inertia in the U.S. State Department that can undermine presidential policy.

A fascinating chronicle of the career of a distinguished lawyer and diplomat who has fought to preserve American sovereignty and strength at home and abroad, Surrender Is Not an Option is the candid memoir of one of America's outstanding statesmen that is sure to become required reading for everyone interested in international affairs.

It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success

Richard Lavoie

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

ADHD • Anxiety • Nonverbal • Communication • Disorders • Visual/Spatial • Disorders • Executive Functioning Difficulties

As any parent, teacher, coach, or caregiver of a learning disabled child knows, every learning disability has a social component. The ADD child constantly interrupts and doesn't follow directions. The child with visual-spatial issues loses his belongings. The child with a nonverbal communication disorder fails to gesture when she talks. These children are socially out of step with their peers, and often they are ridiculed or ostracized for their differences. A successful social life is immeasurably important to a child's happiness, health, and development, but until now, no book has provided practical, expert advice on helping learning disabled children achieve social success.

For more than thirty years, Richard Lavoie has lived with and taught learning disabled children. His bestselling videos and sellout lectures and workshops have made him one of the most respected experts in the field. Rick's pioneering techniques and practical strategies can help children ages six to seventeen

• Overcome shyness and low self-esteem
• Use appropriate body language to convey emotion
• Focus attention and avoid disruptive behavior
• Enjoy playdates and making friends
• Employ strategies for counteracting bullying and harassment
• Master the Hidden Curriculum and polish the apple with teachers

It's So Much Work to Be Your Friend answers the most intense need of parents, teachers, and caregivers of learning disabled children -- or anyone who knows a child who needs a friend.

The Culture of War

Martin Van Creveld

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A respected scholar of military history and an expert on strategy, Martin van Creveld recently explored the modern world’s shifting method of combat in The Changing Face of War. Now, in The Culture of War, he argues that there is much more to war than just soldiers killing one another for whatever reason.

War has always been a topic of deep intrigue. Fighting itself can be a source of great, perhaps even the greatest, joy; out of this joy and fascination an entire culture has grown–from the war paint of tribal warriors to today’s “tiger suits,” from Julius Caesar’s red cloak to Douglas McArthur’s pipe, from the decorative shields of ancient Greece to today’s nose art, and from the invention of chess around 600 A.D. to the most modern combat simulators. The culture of war has its own traditions, laws and customs, rituals, ceremonies, music, art, literature, and monuments since the beginning of civilization.

Throughout the ages, the culture of war has usually been highly esteemed. Not so in today’s advanced countries, which tend either to mock it (“military intelligence is to intelligence what military music is to music”) or to denounce it as “militaristic.” This provocative book, the first of its kind, sets out to show how wrongheaded, and even dangerous, such attitudes are. The Culture of War argues that men and women, contrary to the hopes of some, are just as fascinated by war today as they have been in the past. A military that
has lost touch with the culture of war is doomed not merely to defeat but to disintegration.

Innovative, authoritative, and riveting, this is a major work by one of the world’s greatest and most insightful military historians.

Diplomacy (A Touchstone book)

Henry Kissinger

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Total reviews: 88 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Shows historical roots of Kissinger's brand of diplomacy 5 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

I enjoyed reading this book. Dr. Kissinger is, without saying, one of the most talented and accomplished diplomats that this nation has had. The fact that he ignited so much controversy on both the left and the right does much to confirm this view. In this book, he traces the evolution of international diplomacy from the 17th century. He begins with a discussion of Cardinal Richelieu, a talented practitioner of raison d'etat, which would later develop into realpolitik. Richelieu, though a French Catholic prelate and regent, would ultimately cooperate with Protestant and Muslim rulers against the fellow Catholic Habsburg Empire. It is easy to draw parallels between this and the Nixon-Kissinger policy of rapproachment with Communist China and efforts to play China and the Soviet Union against each other, to the benefit of the United States. Dr. Kissinger also spends a lot of time discussing Metternich's "balance of power" brand of diplomacy, and Bismark's realpolitik. It is clear from the presentation that he has a great deal of interest in, and respect for, these 2 men (and, in my view, with plenty of justification). This book is a "must-read" for people who want a better understanding of diplomatic history.

Editorial Review:

THE SEMINAL WORK ON FOREIGN POLICY AND THE ART OF DIPLOMACY

Moving from a sweeping overview of history to blow-by-blow accounts of his negotiations with world leaders, Henry Kissinger describes how the art of diplomacy has created the world in which we live, and how America's approach to foreign affairs has always differed vastly from that of other nations.

Brilliant, controversial, and profoundly incisive, Diplomacy stands as the culmination of a lifetime of diplomatic service and scholarship. It is vital reading for anyone concerned with the forces that have shaped our world today and will impact upon it tomorrow.

International Business: Competing in the Global Marketplace : Postscript 2001

Charles W. L. Hill

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Hill's International Business 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Great book for my MBA course in International Business. It is well organized, full of clearly defined principles, and loaded with case studies.

Amazon.com shipped incomplete 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Having used Global Business Today, by the same author, in a prior class, I knew this author to be competent and complete. International Business (7th ed) is a continuation of that same completeness and competence. His writing style is somewhat dry, but he gets the point across. My problem is that Amazon failed to ship the "registration card," required to access online content, along with the supposedly new book. This may have been mishandling on their part. Essentially, if someone purchasing this book also wishes to use the online content, it will now cost an extra $30. A feature that would be free, if the registration card were in the book.

I tried to shop Amazon to save money, but I guess I will get all of my textbooks on campus from now on.

D. Sanford

Editorial Review:

One way to compare International Business texts are to classify them as either descriptive or analytical. Descriptive texts describe in detail the internationalization process and answer the question How does a business go global/international? Analytical texts, like Hill, discuss the internationalization process but also address why businesses chose to go global and the managerial implications of the decisions. International Business, 3/e: 1) Explains how and why the worlds countries differ; 2) Presents a thorough review of the economics and politics of international trade and investment 3) Explains the functions of and form of the global monetary system; 4) Examines the strategies and structures of international business and 5) Assesses the special roles of an international businesss various functions.

American Raj: Liberation or Domination?: Resolving the Conflict Between the West and the Muslim World

Eric Margolis

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Editorial Review:

In 1993 Samuel P. Huntington turned conventional political wisdom on its head by arguing in a provocative essay that the secularized West and the fundamentalist Islamic world were destined to clash—a clash of civilizations. At about the same time, veteran journalist and foreign policy expert Eric S. Margolis was arguing virtually the same point—but from a unique vantage point: inside and on the ground in the Muslim world itself. American Raj: Liberation or Domination? is the culmination of all those years of feet-on-the-ground reporting and analysis—many of them spent actually fighting alongside mujahedeen—as well as a lifetime of insight into the complex reality of the way the Muslim world really operates. It is a masterful synthesis of experience and insight that answers the most pressing questions we in the West confront: Why does the Muslim world distrust us? Is the idea of a secular Muslim world—especially one based on the western model—realistic? Has ideology blinded Western powers to both political and historical reality? Is accommodation between these two ideological adversaries possible? What can be done to prevent a clash of civilizations? American Raj: Liberation or Domination? takes the reader behind the conventional headlines and into the thinking and world view of anti-Western Islamic radicals throughout the Muslim world, and identifies the historical, political and religious factors that have played such a huge role in generating Islamic hostility towards the West. Employing the model of Britain’s imperialist hegemony in Asia, which culminated in the eighteenth-century Raj, Margolis explores in fascinating detail whether the West—and in particular the United States—risks a repetition of the Raj experience or whether we face an entirely new—and entirely unfamiliar—world order.

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade

Pietra Rivoli

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Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Praise for THE TRAVELS OF A T-SHIRT IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

"Engrossing . . . (Rivoli) goes wherever the T-shirt goes, and there are surprises around every corner . . . full of memorable characters and vivid scenes."
—Time

"An engaging and illuminating saga. . . . Rivoli follows her T-shirt along its route, but that is like saying that Melville follows his whale. . . . Her nuanced and fair-minded approach is all the more powerful for eschewing the pretense of ideological absolutism, and her telescopic look through a single industry has all the makings of an economics classic."
—The New York Times

"Rarely is a business book so well written that one would gladly stay up all night to finish it. Pietra Rivoli's The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy is just such a page-turner."
—CIO magazine

"Succeeds admirably . . . T-shirts may not have changed the world, but their story is a useful account of how free trade and protectionism certainly have."
—Financial Times

"[A] fascinating exploration of the history, economics, and politics of world trade . . . The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy is a thought-provoking yarn that exhibits the ugly, the bad, and the good of globalization, and points to the unintended positive consequences of the clash between proponents and opponents of free trade."
—Star-Telegram (Fort Worth)

"Part travelogue, part history, and part economics, The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy is ALL storytelling, and in the grand style. A must-read."
—Peter J. Dougherty, Senior Economics Editor, Princeton University Press author of Who's Afraid of Adam Smith?

"A readable and evenhanded treatment of the complexities of free trade . . . As Rivoli repeatedly makes clear, there is absolutely nothing free about free trade except the slogan."
—San Francisco Chronicle