The Geopolitics of Emotion: How Cultures of Fear, Humiliation, and Hope are Reshaping the World [DECKLE EDGE] (Hardcover)

~ Dominique Moisi (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. An astonishingly creative response to Samuel HuntingtonÖs The Clash of Civilizations, this groundbreaking analysis examines political trends through the prism of emotion, arguing that fear, humiliation and hope might be as influential as the cultural, social and economic factors that breed political conflict. Shedding keen light on the limitations of the geographic and cultural determinism that currently dominates international relations discourse, Moïsi uses these definitions to remap the world's political regions. Dexterously avoiding cliché or sentimentality, Moïsi studies how emotions interact (e.g., fear is the absence of confidence; hope is the expression of confidence; humiliation is the loss of hope that results from wounded confidence) and plumbs the roots of AsiaÖs culture of hope, the historical humiliation feeding Islamic extremism and the long-dominant emotions in the West: a fear of the other, confusion about national identity and an anxiety to maintain global relevance. This elegant thesis presents the very real consequences of the Clash of Emotions and concludes with well-reasoned if tentative conjecture about how these currents will shift in years to come. (June)
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Review

Praise for The Geopolitics of Emotion

“An astonishingly creative response to Samuel Huntington’s The Clash of Civilizations…[a] groundbreaking analysis…This elegant thesis presents the very real consequences of the “Clash of Emotions” and concludes with well-reasoned if tentative conjecture about how these currents will shift in years to come.” --Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

“This is a book rich in intelligence and insight. Today's reflex is to strive for simplicity. Dominique Moisi performs the infinitely more valuable task of making sense of the cacophony of complexities that shape our world.” Philip Stephens, Financial Times

“This is Moisi at his best: original, challenging and full of elegance.  This little book shows how globalization has forged a new world disorder defined as much by clashes of emotions, as divisions over interests and power.” Mark Leonard, author of What Does China Think?

“Human beings are not automata concerned solely with maximising wealth or power. They are bundles of emotions. In this scintillating essay, the French analyst, Dominique Moisi, explores the role of three potent emotions - hope, humiliation and fear - in shaping the world we live in today and might live in tomorrow.” Martin Wolf, author of Fixing Global Finance



From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday (May 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385523769
• ISBN-13: 978-0385523769
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #48,509 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise, crisp, and refreshing, July 15, 2009

By	K. Davis (Southern California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I absolutely loved this book. Dominique Moisi is successfully able to create a lucid picture of the current state of geopolitics by viewing various countries and regions through an emotional lens, rather than a rigid, statistical one which is so common in international relations politics today. This book was wonderfully written, kept me hooked the entire way through, and offered many valuable insights and opinions. Thank you, M. Moisi, for a delightfully enjoyable and informative read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT HELP IN UNDERSTANDING OUR WORLD, August 6, 2009

By	bradford g wheler "Author SNAPPY SAYINGS & Pr... (Cazenovia, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Having read Samuel Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations" and several of Bernard Lewis' books I found Moisi's book extremely insightful. So many political analyses over look the emotional aspects of cultural conflict. This over looked dimension to complex cultural conflicts add a piece that is missing in so many other books. It also sheds additional light on the course to peaceful resolutions of major world conflicts. Technology changes at a rapid pace but human nature evolves slowly. This is one of the main themes I address in Snappy Sayings: wit & wisdom from the world's greatest minds. The timelessness of human nature. Moisi's treatment is deep and thoughtful. While mine is more light hearted. "The Geopolitics of Emotion" outlines a potential path to a hopeful future. Complex problems are not one dimensional. Despite what our politicians often say the solutions will be complex and involve the emotional aspect discussed by Moisi. Read this book and gain a little better understanding of the world we live in.

4.0 out of 5 stars 4.5 Stars... excellent insights on the culture of hope and fear, September 20, 2009

By	Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Dominique Moisi writes an excellent column on international matters in the Financial Times, and I make it a point to never miss it. So when I saw that he had written a book, I just had to pick it up.

First things first: "The Geopolitics of Emotion: How Cultures of Fear, Humiliation, and Hope Are Reshaping the World" (190 pages) is the translation of a book written by Moisi last year and published in France. In the "Preface to the American Edition", Moisi of course takes the election of Obama as a sign of hopn, among many signs of fear (for example, the attacks in Mumbai mere weeks later). "The very title of this book will strike many critics as a sheer provocation, if not an oxymoron. This book is based on a dual convition. First: one cannot fully understand the world in which we livewithout trying to integrate and understand its emotions. And second, emotions are like cholesterol, both good and bad. The problem is to find the right balance between them." Moisi then goes into details in the chapters that follow, and it makes for fascinating reading. Beware: this is not a book that you red in a hurry. In fact, I read this book, on and off, over the course of about 3-4 weeks, taking in a chapter here and there and then digesting it.

The last chapter in the book is "The World in 2025", in which Moisi outlines 2 scenarios: one in which fear prevails, and one in which hope prevails. Couldn't help but notice the following remark in the fear-scenario: "Perhaps it was the peaceful but stunning explostion of Belgium in 2010, or the subsequent declarations of independence by Scotland, Wales and Catalonia." Wow. (This chapter is reminiscent of George Friedman's excellent book from earlier this year "The Next 100 Years".) Moisi concludes his book with an urgent plea for change as "self-preservation means change". In all, this book is outstanding from start to finish, and highly recommended.