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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

Thought Provokers

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

Thought Provokers

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

Thought Provokers

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

Thought Provokers

Kissinger’s Leadership

Henry Kissinger’s best selling “Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy” (2022) revolves around six detailed biographies through which leadership is analyzed. The biographies are interesting, and his access to these people presents unique insights. However, the “so what” aspect of leadership from these six biographies is underdeveloped. Notes: “Leadership is most essential during periods of […]

Tags: #Character #Courage #Creativity #Intuition #Kissinger #Leadership #Strategy

Thought Provokers

How The West Came To Rule

This is a 2015 book that seeks to reorient the history of capitalism by Anievas and Nisancioglu. Published by Pluto Press, “How the West Came to Rule: The Geopolitical Origins of Capitalism” offers depth of conceptual, historical and theoretical analysis to challenge dominant narratives (following the financial crisis, which – if the idea persisted – […]

Tags: #Capitalism #History #Politics #Power

Thought Provokers