The Many Faces of Political Islam:
		Religion and Politics in the Muslim World
		Mohammed Ayoob
		Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 2008
		ISBN: 978-0-472-06971-3

About one out of every four people in the world practice Islam.Since the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the US response, the study of "political Islam" has become a "growth industry" in the West, too often narrowly defined as a threat, explains Mohammed Ayoob, professor of international relations, in his book "The Many Faces of Political Islam: Religion and Politics in the Muslim World." In reality, Islam and other religious traditions wield similar influence over politics. Ayoob examines the complex interplay between domestic concerns in various Muslim countries with international events. In this excerpt, he explains how some populist political movements thrive on anti-Americanism. continue...

		Trade Imbalance: The Struggle to
		Weigh Human Rights Concerns in Trade Policymaking
		Susan Ariel Aaronson and Jamie M. Zimmerman
		Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008
		ISBN: 978-0-521-69420-9

Imbalanced trade is controversial trade - and imbalances in information, income, substitutes, mobility or access are common between wealthy countries and poor ones. Governments can use trade agreements to advance human rights, directly or indirectly, argue Susan Aaronson and Jamie Zimmerman in their book "Trade Imbalance: The Struggle to Weigh Human Rights Concerns in Trade Policymaking." Aaronson is research associate professor of international affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs and adjunct associate professor at the business school, George Washington University; Zimmerman is associate director of the Global Assets Project, New America Foundation. In this excerpt, Aaronson and Zimmerman explain how agricultural support programs in Europe fail to evolve with changing circumstances. continue...

		Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and
		the Battle Over Our Ancient Heritage
		James Cuno
		Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008
		ISBN: 978-0-691-13712-4

Laws can include or exclude, protect or harm. Nationalist retentionist cultural-property laws have failed to protect antiquities and the human record, argues James Cuno, president and director of the Art Institute of Chicago. Instead of encouraging the collection of all artifacts and displaying the historical evidence for all to observe and analyze, some nations use their power to control the narrative, selecting pieces that support their claim to power. All global citizens have a right to view ancient artifacts, regardless of where they might have been found, and learn cultural truths. continue...

		The Great Experiment: The Story of
		Ancient Empires, Modern States, and the Quest for a Global Nation
		Strobe Talbott
		New York: Simon & Schuster
		ISBN: 978-0-7432-9408-9

Calls for global governance increasingly emerge, as global problems move to the top of national agendas. Those living in powerful nations fear that global government might reduce the power of nations and eliminate freedoms. Strobe Talbott - president of the Brookings Institution, former deputy secretary of state from 1994 to 2001, and founding director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization - has traced what he calls "the great experiment of global governance from the origins of the concept in ancient religion and philosophy through its evolution in the minds of political thinkers and in the strivings of political leaders." Talbot points out that the world's citizens must demonstrate, once again, that they can put the common fate over tribal instincts in order to resolve problems such as climate change and nuclear proliferation. continue...

		The New Asian Hemisphere:
		The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East
		Kishore Mahbubani
		New York: Public Affairs
		ISBN: 978-1-58648-466-8

Asians have absorbed many Western practices in economics, corporate governance, the rule of law and technology. As a result, by 2050, the world's three largest economies will be China, India and Japan. To remain relevant, global groups must graciously welcome and incorporate emerging economic powers, writes Kishore Mahbubani, dean and professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. In Chapter 6 of his book, "The New Asian Hemisphere," Mahbubani assesses the role of the United Nations. continue...

		Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China
		and India Are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours
		Tarun Khanna
		Boston: Harvard Business School Press
		ISBN: 978-1-4221-0383-8

Entrepreneurs in the emerging economies of India and China demonstrate that they have the money, the education, the management skills and the creativity to build successful firms. In "Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India Are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours," Tarun Khanna, the Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at Harvard Business School, compares the two nations' governance, information accessibility, infrastructure, rural challenges, soft power and foreign ties. The comparative analysis offers insights into the distinct styles and strategies of the two Asian giants. continue...

		The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle
		to Build Free Societies Throughout the World
		Larry Diamond
		Times Books, Henry Holt and Company
		ISBN: 978-0-8050-7869-S

Appreciation for democracy runs deep in countries around the globe, but instability can present challenges for the system of governance. "The Spirit of Democracy: The Struggle to Build Free Societies Throughout the World" analyzes the elements of democracy and how they have transformed global relations, the prospects for democracy in specific regions and ways to revitalize the system even in nations where regression has emerged. Renewing democracy requires education and mobilization of citizens themselves, argues Larry Diamond, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. To be consistant, those who support democracy must acknowledge and reward any who promote systems of good governance, even when ideas or policies may differ. continue...

		Forgotten Continent: The Battle
		for Latin America's Soul
		Michael Reid
		New Haven: Yale University Press
		ISBN: 978-0-300-11616-8

The West tends to overlook Latin America, but the politics and economics of the continent remain dynamic, argues Michael Reid, editor of the Americas section of the Economist who has reported on Latin America for that publication as well as the BBC and the Guardian since 1982. Two categories of leaders have emerged in the region, one set populist and the other set outward looking, and struggle to establish a vision for the continent. Reid suggests that governments in Latin America must be assessed based on the many challenges they have and continue to face - tackling poverty, environmental protection and social justice. continue...

		Lost Years: Bush, Sharon
		and Failure in the Middle East
		Mark Matthews
		Nation Books
		ISBN: 1-56858-332-X

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to haunt the Middle East, and peace remains an elusive goal for world leaders. Journalist Mark Matthews details and analyzes the many lost opportunities for resolving the conflict in recent years, starting with George Bush's first visit to Israel as governor of Texas and potential presidential candidate, as described in this excerpt. Matthews' thorough reporting reveals how people affected by such conflict depend on their leaders to seek out connections, overlook cultural differences and persist in genuine dialogue that leads to peace. continue...

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