Want to know what Santa brought Foreign Policy editors this year? Judge for yourself whether we were naughty or nice.
Blake Hounshell: Want
to understand our latest financial disaster? Go back and read When
Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management, Roger
Lowenstein's painstakingly reported explication of the spectacular 1998
implosion of this most ambitious and arrogant of Greenwich hedge funds. You'll
find many of the same characters who are still key players in the game today.
Britt Peterson: In the holiday light reading edition, I spent a good
chunk of last night working my way through Kate Christensen's The
Great Man, a caustic and hilarious take on ego, love, family, and the
New York City art world. Back at work, I'm reading novelist James Salter's review of William
Langewiesche's book
on Chesley Sullenberger. Salter, a former Air Force pilot, apparently speaks
from past
experience when he writes, somewhat thrillingly, "Ditching is best done
with power."
Rebecca Frankel: The
Prince of the Marshes. I've only
just begun this memoir of Rory Stewart's about his time in Iraq from 2003-2004
on assignment for the British foreign office, sent there to replace the
governor of Maysan. I heard him speak earlier this year and his commentary on
occupied territories (in that instance, Afghanistan) was captivating. Judging
from what I've read so far Stewart has an aptitude for community immersion in
war-torn countries.
David Kenner: Santa
brought me Tom Ricks's The
Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq,
2006-2008 for Christmas, so I'm working my way through that. I'm just up to
the point where Donald Rumsfeld gets the axe, and Gen. Petraeus assumes control
of the war effort in Iraq. Also, I'm still reading Mohammed Shafi Agwani's The
Lebanese Crisis, 1958: A Documentary Study, where Saeb Salaam and the
United National Front are lauding Nasser and bashing Lebanese President Camille
Chamoun.
Annie Lowrey: For the holidays, I bought someone else Harold McGee's delightful, exhaustive On
Food and Cooking, which I promptly stole back to read. It is part history, part chemistry text, part cooking book, with details
about everything from why some
fishes taste good as sushi to what makes egg whites hold texture when whipped. I'm
also doing some brushing up on Iran and revolutions, and am currently reading
Ali Ansari's great article "The Revolution
Will Be Mercantilized" in the National
Interest.
Christina Larson:
It's hard to escape lists this time of year. One of the most interesting comes
from Gady Epstein, Beijing bureau chief of Forbes
magazine, who predicts that while the world continually expects bold moves from
China, 2010 will be Beijing's "year
of incrementalism."
If you have any recommendations for articles or books we should read, throw them in the comments!
I applaud The Prince of the Marshes though I still prefer Allawi's works. For an area of the modern world that is virtually unknown to the public I recommend Misha Glenny's McMafia.
You were definately a little naughty. :) Linux On PS3
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