Fawaz A. Gerges and Minxin Pei for PS Book Recommendations

PS Read More is now PS Book Recommendations, and it is coming to your inbox every week. The PS Book Recommendations newsletter. [View this message in a web browser.]( Welcome to PS Book Recommendations, your weekly source of reading inspiration, provided by PS contributors. This week's edition features Fawaz A. Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, and Minxin Pei, Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College. If you want us to keep delivering PS Say More interviews and other exclusive content to your inbox, [sign up for our PS On Point newsletter here](. Happy reading! [Book Cover: Antidote To the Crisis of Leadership]( [Antidote To The Crisis of Leadership:]( [Opportunity in Complexity]( By Stephen Wyatt Can daring to be an unpopular leader bring you success? Discover how strong personal values and a clear mission can make great leaders. Sponsored by De Gruyter By a PS Contributor [What Really Went Wrong: The West and the Failure of Democracy in the Middle East]( By Fawaz A. Gerges Gerges says: "My latest book examines the legacy and impact of US foreign policy during the early years of the Cold War on political and economic development in the Middle East. I argue that Anglo-American interventions in the region’s affairs from the early 1950s through the present arrested and stunted political development and social change, and led the region down the path toward authoritarianism and militarism. America’s frequent military intervention, support for authoritarian regimes, neglect of local concerns, and imperial ambitions created conditions that undermined the lengthy, turbulent processes that are essential to inclusive economic and political development. I show how the administrations of US Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower laid the foundations of an imperial foreign policy, which was hardened under Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Even after the end of the Cold War, the US upheld its interventionist foreign policy, exemplified by President George W. Bush’s decision to invade and occupy Afghanistan and Iraq as part of a global 'War on Terror.' My book provides the context for understanding Joe Biden’s near-blind support for Israel’s war in Gaza and his partnerships with Arab autocrats. Biden belongs to a Cold War generation who sees the Middle East through the lens of America’s imperial ambitions." Minxin Pei's Picks [The Rise and Fall of the EAST: How Exams, Autocracy, Stability, and Technology Brought China Success, and Why They Might Lead to Its Decline]( By [Yasheng Huang]( Pei says: "This book argues that the adoption in the sixth century of one institution – the keju civil-service examination system – was largely responsible for the subsequent consolidation and continuation of autocratic rule in China. After its adoption, keju enabled Chinese rulers to enforce ideological conformity, monopolize intellectual capital, inculcate political loyalty, and prevent the rise of autonomous social groups. Written in a lucid style, Huang offers a general theory of Chinese political development that is both original and persuasive." [Sovereign Funds: How the Communist Party of China Finances Its Global Ambitions]( By Zongyuan Zoe Liu Pei says: "I recommend this book despite its technical nature, because it represents a truly groundbreaking research effort. Relying on open-source materials and field interviews, the author shows how China leverages its foreign-exchange reserves to advance politically important projects. But the Chinese authorities’ efforts are both costly and risky, with seemingly clever financial engineering creating huge risks for nominally safe foreign-exchange reserves. In fact, questionable accounting methods mean that a portion of the reserves that have already been spent may well remain on the books." Don't miss our recent Say More interview with Pei, in which he expresses doubt about the Chinese government's willingness to do what is needed to restore growth, describes the low-tech approaches taken by the country’s vast security apparatus, considers the Chinese social-credit system’s repressive potential, and more. [Read now]( [PS. Save 30% on a new Digital subscription with our special introductory offer.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( Project Syndicate publishes and provides, on a not-for-profit basis, original commentary by the world's leading thinkers to more than 500 media outlets in over 150 countries. This newsletter does not entitle the recipient to re-publish any of the content it contains. This newsletter is a service of [Project Syndicate](. [Change your newsletter preferences](. Follow us on [Facebook]( [Twitter]( and [YouTube](. © Project Syndicate, all rights reserved. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters](.