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)