Fawaz A. Gerges and Shlomo Ben-Ami for PS Book Recommendations

Your weekly reading inspiration, provided by PS contributors. The PS Book Recommendations newsletter. [View this message in a web browser.]( [PS Book Recommendations]( 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 Shlomo Ben-Ami, a former Israeli foreign minister who is now Vice President of the Toledo International Center for Peace. Fawaz A. Gerges Recommends... Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil]( By Timothy Mitchell Gerges says: "The Cold War, Mitchell writes, provided the US with a 'framework for the policing of the post-war Middle East that replaced the need for mandates, trusteeships, development programs and other scaffoldings for imperial power.' It is an apt description of the transition from the colonial to the post-colonial paradigm. Mitchell, a sociologist, argues that America’s increased interest in post-independence Middle Eastern states during the Cold War ultimately played a key role in their slow, unstable, and lopsided development." Don’t miss our PS Say More interview with Gerges on Iran, Gaza, US foreign policy, and more. [Read now](. "If Donald Trump wins the US presidential election this November, there is a real danger of a military confrontation between the US and Iran." – Gerges PS Contributors' Perspectives [Anatomy of a Massacre]( By Shlomo Ben-Ami In studying inter-communal violence, there is a tendency to over-emphasize the ethnic and religious causes of conflict, while ignoring underlying social and economic factors. A nuanced approach that recognizes historical lessons – and their limits – is essential to guide reconciliation and long-term stability. [Read the Longer Read](. [The Damascus Events:]( [The 1860 Massacre and the Destruction of the Old Ottoman World]( By Eugene Rogan Ben-Ami says: In his "magnificent new book," Rogan "highlights just how deadly the combination of inter-communal tensions and incompetent leadership can be," but also "offers a message of hope and humanity, and a lesson about the capacity of fractured societies to reconcile and rebuild." [PS. Save 30% on a new PS 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. Secure exclusive rights to PS content [here](. Interested in advertising opportunities? Email sponsorship@project-syndicate.org. 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](.