Review by Peter Kovach
Religion and Public Diplomacy by Philip Seib, Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN-13: 978-1-137-29111-0, 2013, 236pp., $90.00 (Hardcover List)

By Jacob Heilbrunn, Editor, National Interest http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-presidency/obamas-peculiar-ambassadors-9884 Reviewed by Brenda Brown Schoonover Every once in a while the spotlight focuses on the United States’ spoils system, that is, granting political appointments as a means of rewarding high-roller contributors to the … Read more

By Sheila A. Smith, Senior Fellow, Counsel on Foreign Relations Text: http://www.cfr.org/asia-and-pacific/us-alliances-northeast-asia/p32533 Reviewed by Francis P. Sempa, Contributing Editor In recent testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sheila Smith of the counsel on Foreign Relations highlighted the importance of … Read more

Review by Donald Camp No Exit from Pakistan: America’s Tortured Relationship with Islamabad by Daniel S. Markey, Cambridge University Press, 2013, ISBN-13: 978-1107623590, 253 pp., $71.16 (Hardcover), $25.19 (Paperback), $12.49 (Kindle). There is much to ponder in this well-written and … Read more

Review by Jon P. Dorschner Shooting for a Century: The India-Pakistan Conundrum by Stephen P. Cohen, The Brookings Institution: Washington, DC, 2013, ISBN 978-0-8157-2186-4, 236 pp., $26.96 (Hardcover), $16.17 (Kindle). Stephen Cohen has been an expert voice for reason in … Read more

Review by Sol Schindler Dancing With The Devil: The Perils of Engaging Rogue Regimes by Michael Rubin, Encounter Books, ISBN-1-59407-723-X, 2014, 384 pp., $27.99 (Hardcover List). The United States has a long history of dealing with rogue nations. During Thomas … Read more

By Macubin Thomas Owens, editor of Orbis and Senior Fellow    Foreign Policy Research Institute http://www.fpri.org/articles/2014/01/principle-and-prudence-american-foreign-policy Reviewed by James L. Abrahamson, Contributing Editor Any reader unwilling to consider that U.S. foreign policy may be in serious disarray will likely wish … Read more

By Emanuele Ottolenghi, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies http://www.defenddemocracy.org/media-hit/stand-up-to-turkeys-crackdowns Reviewed by Michael W. Cotter This opinion piece raises some justifiable concerns about the direction Turkey’s government seems to be taking. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan … Read more

By David Cameron, Prime Minister of Great Britain Text: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/eu-meeting-on-ukraine-david-camerons-speech Review by David T. Jones In a concise speech on March 6th to the European Union (EU), British Prime Minister David Cameron addressed all of the pertinent realities regarding Ukraine. … Read more

By Marc Ginsberg, former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and Ambassador to Morocco http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amb-marc-ginsberg/so-mr-president-you-want_b_4811380.html Reviewed by Norvell DeAtkine This article is particularly timely, not so much because it is about the still festering Syrian tragedy, but because in the light of … Read more

By Dr. Mary Habeck, Visiting Scholar, AEI Text: https://www.fpri.org/articles/2014/02/attacking-america-al-qaedas-grand-strategy-its-war-world Review by David T. Jones In a densely written, 6,600 word lecture published by the Foreign Policy Research Institute, Dr Mary Habeck examines in detail the elements of what she believes … Read more

By Paul Kennedy, Professor, Yale University Video: http://www.usnwc.edu/About/News/January-2014/NWC-Announces-Yale-Historian-to-Receive-Hattendorf.aspx Review by Francis P. Sempa, Contributing Editor In a lecture at the Naval War College on January 30, the renowned historian Paul Kennedy identified and explained strategic lessons from three global conflicts: … Read more

Review by Joe B. Johnson Latin America in the Post-Chavez Era: the Security Threat to the United States by Luis Fleischman, Potomac Books, 2013, ISBN-13: 978-1-61234-601-4, E-Book ISBN 798-1-61234-602-1, pp. 277, $29.95 (Hardcover), $16 (Kindle Edition) After the death of … Read more

Review by David Beechey Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized Biography, From Grantham to the Falklands by Charles Moore, Knopf: New York, 2013, ISBN-13: 978-0307958945, 896 pp., $15.98 (Amazon), $14.98 (Kindle); originally published in the United Kingdom as Margaret Thatcher: The Authorized … Read more

By Dean Cheng, Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/01/the-challenge-of-china-s-expansionism-in-east-asia-and-us-policy-responses Reviewed by John Sylvester A major challenge for any American administration just now is maintaining a wise balance as we cope with a rising China. It is not an expansionist power … Read more

By Hannah Thoburn, DC-based Eurasian analyst, and Katrina V. Negouk, Center for the National Interest. http://www.the-american-interest.com/articles/2014/01/19/yanukovych-is-courting-disaster-in-ukraine/ http://nationalinterest.org/print/commentary/understanding-ukraine’s-choice-9624 Reviews and Commentary by William P. Kiehl, Ed. D., Contributing Editor Writing a predictive article on a rapidly evolving political crisis is very … Read more

By Elias Groll, Editorial Assistant, Foreign Policy http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/20/ why_obamas_hints_at_intel_reform_are_mostly_window_dressing#sthash.VGbOjpvA.dpbs Reviewed by John Handley, Vice President, American Diplomacy Prior to going on vacation, President Obama indicated his willingness to place additional controls on NSA’s controversial collection of telephone records by placing … Read more

Review by Paul Levine China Goes Global: The Partial Power by David Shambaugh. Oxford University Press, 2013, ISBN: 978-0-19-986014-2, 409 pp., $29.95 (List), $22.19 (Amazon Hardcover), $16.20 (Paperback), $12.45 (Kindle), $21.95 (Audiobook). In the Year of the Horse, relations between … Read more

Review by Amb. (ret.) Michael W. Cotter, Publisher, American Diplomacy Restless Valley: Revolution, Murder, and Intrigue in the Heart of Central Asia, by Philip Shiskin, Yale University Press, 2013, Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-300-18436-5, pp. 301, $20.07 Hardcover, $14.99/$15.49 E-Book (Kindle/Nook) Some … Read more

By Suzy Hansen, a writer living in Istanbul http://www.newrepublic.com/article/116044/fethullah-gulen-turkish-prime-minister-erdogans-biggest-rival Reviewed by Michael W. Cotter Turkey has been much in the news recently as prosecutors in that country have brought corruption charges against a number of people close to Prime Minister … Read more