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Public Policy Schools of the Future

On a recent visit to LKY School of Public Policy, the Vice Dean of Executive Education Dr Francesco Mancini shared a copy of this 2026 book he edited. This collection of essays reflects on the 20 year anniversary of LKY SPP (which is #3 Policy School, according to QS). This is a large collection, of […]

Tags: #Future #LKY #Policy School #Public Policy #School of Public Policy #Singapore

Thought Provokers

Thucydides on Strategy

The authors of this book (Platias and Koliopoulos) analyze the classic work of Thucydides and make a case for its essential reading nature in grand strategy studies. This book was originally published in 2010, and a revised version was published in 2026, with some discussion on the US-China rivalry. The book does not (and the […]

Tags: #Grand Strategy #On Grand Strategy #Strategic Studies #Thucydides #Thucydides Trap

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Getting to Yes

This 1981 classic by Fisher and Ury was given to me as a gift when starting a new leadership role. “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In” is not only a best seller, it has seeped into popular culture as a reference point for negotiation. A few notes: “… in contrast to positional bargaining, […]

Tags: #Inspiration #Inspirational #Leaders #Leadership #Motivation #Motivational

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Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment

Ahmet Kuru’s Cambridge University Press book, “Islam, Authoritarianism, and Underdevelopment: A Global and Historical Comparison” (2019) is a unique and provocative book. Parts of the data referenced are dated (e.g., 2009 and 2010 data in a 2019 publication) but this does not alter the argument being made (which is historically based). In essence, the author […]

Tags: #Authoritarianism #Democracy #Development #Development Studies #History #Islam #Participation #Politics #Power #Underdevelopment

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China’s Military Strategy since 1949

M. Taylor Fravel is Professor in, and Director of, the Security Studies Program at MIT. His 2019 Princeton University Press book, “Active Defense: China’s Military Strategy since 1949” presents a detailed, historical analysis of Chinese military strategies, as well as reasons for the shifts undertaken. The book follows a dissertation type format (reiterating the gap […]

Tags: #Active Defense #China #History #Military #Strategy

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Medieval Ethiopian Diplomacy with Latin Europe

Verena Krebs authored a unique and rich historical text on the rationale and motivation of Ethiopian leadership to send off international delegations, particularly to Europe, in the Middle Ages. “Medieval Ethiopian Kingship, Craft, and Diplomacy with Latin Europe” (2021, Palgrave) is extensively researched. The author has a PhD from both Germany and Ethiopia. For historians, […]

Tags: #Empire #Ethiopia #History #Politics #Power

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