Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly Recommended Assessments of the Threats Facing the US and the World, March 16, 2009
An excellent review of the threats facing both the US and the world, from a broad range of perspectives, with emphasis on their evolving nature. Chapters range from Matt Armstrong's insightful evaluation of public diplomacy--in particular, of "global engagement"--as a vital part of national security, in "Arming for the Second War of Ideas," to Daniel H. Abbott's surely controversial thesis of true democracy as a threat to the US military-industrial complex, and thus to itself, in "An Outbreak of Democracy." Whether or not one agrees with all of the many assessments and arguments presented in it, the book is a must-read for anyone with an active hand in world affairs at any level, and for that matter, for anyone with an interest in the both the near-term and long-term future of our world in general.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Impressive Array Of Talent Yields A Strong Work Of Ideas, March 19, 2009
This is an outstanding collection of cutting-edge, conventional-wisdom challenging works by a talented roster of contributors. Unlike much of the chatter out there in the USG/Ivory Tower bubble where partisan, think-tank, academic and NGO ideological advocacy takes precedence over inconvenient truths and expansive vision, many of these contributors (with significant experience in the policy arenas from a variety of perspectives) are renowned independent bloggers and writers who engage in regular give and take with their readers and colleagues, which helps to inform and strengthen the analysis they offer in 22 pieces.
Wondering what the economic crisis could mean to America's democracy and military? Considering what a Grand Strategy for America with a long view would encompass? Perplexed as to what forms terrorism and insurgency could take in the near future after Mumbai and Lebanon? Do you find the prospect of "global engagement" promising but have yet to read an impressive proposal for it? Having difficulty navigating already antiquated ideas about security in the Conficker era?
The contributors take on these subjects and many more with an impressive eye for originality and detail that should leave you more knowledgeable about what's been happening out in the world and what our leaders and innovators should do about it while most of us have been so focused on the economy, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.
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5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read for those wishing to understand the international security environment in the Age of Obama, January 25, 2009
This excellent compilation brings together some of the top international security experts to address the range of threats and security issues that the Obama administration will confront over the next four years.
Any concerned citizen that seeks to better understand these issues would do well to read this book which places even the most complex issues in an easily digestible form.
Here is a list of topics and contributors from the Table of Contents:
The Threat Landscape, Michael Tanji
The Tangled Relationship Between Organized Crime,
Terrorism and Proliferation, Christopher A. Corpora, Ph.D
The Terrorism Meme--Looking Beyond the Current Threat,
Matthew G. Devost
Crazy as a Fox, Adrian Martin
Infectious Diseases, Foreign Militaries, and US National
Security, Christopher Albon
Pakistan as a Nuclear Risk, Steve Schippert
Nuclear Nonproliferation in the 21st Century, Cheryl Rofer
and Molly Cernicek
Into the Complex Terrain, Tim Stevens
Simulated "Black Swans": National Security, Perception
Operations, and the Expansion of the Infosphere,
Adam Elkus
An Outbreak of Peace and Democracy, Daniel H. Abbott
Ideas and Strategies for a More Secure Future, Michael Tanji
Preparing One's Mind to See, Art Hutchinson
The Issues of Non-State Actors and the Nation State,
Samuel P. Liles
The Future of Missile Defense Policy, Tom Karako
Toward a Contemporary Deterrence Strategy, Carolyn Leddy
An Information Age Strategy for Government Information
Technology, Mathew Burton
The Future of Cyberspace Security: The Law of the Rodeo,
Bob Gourley
Security Evolution, Gunnar Peterson
Arming for the Second War of Ideas, Matt Armstrong
Blurring the Lines Between War and Peace, Shane Deichman
Reconfiguring the National Security Architecture, Shlok Vaidya
A Grand Strategy for a Networked Civilization, Mark Safranski
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