Book Reviews
Politicians, utility managers and corporations throughout the United States often insist that policies favoring renewable energies or conservation would disrupt job creation and economic growth. But with worldwide economic crisis and volatile price swings in energy costs, the public has become more skeptical. The impediments to new energy forms are social and political, based on greed, argues Benjamin Sovacool, research fellow for energy governance at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, in his book, "The Dirty Energy Dilemma." In her review, Susan Froetschel lauds Sovacool's analysis that points to a need for new public interest in energy science, delivery and politics - as essential as personal finance for the 21st century.
Rapid modernization contributes to the rise of Asia in terms of economic and social power, and Kishore Mahbubani's book, "The New Asian Hemisphere: The Irresistible Shift of Global Power to the East," documents that rise. Mahbubani, dean and professor with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, the National University of Singapore, explains why it's in the best interest of the democratic West and global institutions to accommodate additional power centers and even celebrate an increasing number of responsible stakeholders in world affairs. Fair distribution of power and global democracy can contribute to a more stable and peaceful world.
The vision of a Muslim world united under the banner of Islam and storming the West makes no sense, posits Olivier Roy, research director at the French National Center for Scientific Research, in his book "The Politics of Chaos in the Middle East." And any policy that presumes such a plan is in play makes no sense either. By declaring a global war on terror, the West inadvertently raised the status of terrorists and failed to prioritize the Middle East's many separate conflicts. Citizens of the West repeatedly fall prey to politicians who inflate enemies as a distraction for other problems or support groups that work against the long-term interests of democracy or stability - and in her review, Susan Froetschel notes that Roy must be more explicit in explaining the reasons behind the chaos of the Middle East for those readers.
An old saying goes, "It doesn't matter whether we win or lose, but how we play the game," and the same goes for policymakers and business executives who hope to spur innovation. Innovation that sustains prosperity is more likely in a connected rather than an isolated or restricted world, explains Columbia professor Amar Bhidé in "The Venturesome Economy." Trying too hard, limiting options, competing by excluding others - all can backfire. Like it or not, businesses and users are in a great adventure in pursuit of easy and best practices, otherwise known as innovation. In her review, Susan Froetschel notes that globalization and innovation go hand in hand.
Globalization, the process of growing interconnectedness, is not a new phenomenon. All that's new is the ease and speed of the connections. In his book, Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal Online, follows the exploits of historical traders, preachers, adventurers and warriors in shaping our world, and identifies their modern counterparts at work today. The categories provide insights into globalization's ongoing process, and Paul Freedman, chair of the Department of History at Yale University, points out how Chanda's background as an international journalist allows for perceptive observations at both the personal and global levels. Describing Chanda's analysis as both exciting and sobering, Freedman also ponders why globalization has failed to penetrate some of the poorest places of the world, emphasizing that, despite unprecedented opportunities, the world is still inequitable.
Capitalism is not a simple monolithic system and comes in more than one form: entrepreneurial, big firms, state-directed and oligarchic. Some forms are better than others at delivering innovation, opportunity, economic growth and wealth, argue authors William J. Baumol, Robert E. Litan and Carl J. Schramm in their book "Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, and the Economics of Growth and Prosperity." In a review, Susan Froetschel points out how nations must take care to avoid the forms that encourage greed, inequality and complacency rather than the passion for innovation and solving problems that confront the globe.
Democracy spread rapidly throughout the world during the 20th century. But that does not mean the system is free of risks. Michael Mandelbaum, a leading US foreign policy thinker, explores the history of democracy and the necessary conditions for its establishment in his book, "Democracy's Good Name: The Rise and Risks of the World's Most Popular Form of Government." In the book, Mandelbaum focuses on leadership and institutions. In her review, Susan Froetschel keys in on another remarkable aspect of democracy - the fact that large groups of people live with decisions that do not go their way.
The US presided over much of the technological innovation that spurred globalization throughout the 20th century. Yet Americans remain wary about the international influence and global governance. "The Paradox of a Global US," edited by Bruce Mazlish, Nayan Chanda and Kenneth Weisbrode analyzes the simultaneous US pursuit and hesitation about global connections in politics, religion, media, foreign affairs and security. In her review, Susan Froetschel suggests that the US might have more to fear from its own way of handling globalization than the phenomenon itself.
