The Ideas That Conquered the World

This is a magnificent book - I can happily recommend it to anyone, regardless of their politics (an all too rare thing these days, as the culture wars spread ever wider). The West ought to remember its roots, and why it is where it is today. A book like this is therefore very timely and well worth reading. Christopher Catherwood, historian, teacher and author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

It is rare these days to find a book on world affairs that has an original and provocative thesis and that is also a pleasure to read. Mandelbaum has written just such a volume. His purpose is nothing less than to identify the main forces--markets and democracy--shaping the contemporary world, and he does so by moving effortlessly from the overall claim to real-world examples and back again. The lines of the forest are always in view but there are plenty of trees, and the main argument is made with compelling clarity, conviction, and the occasional bit of humor. Despite Mandelbaum's crystal clear prose, it's apparent that some reviewers (see below) fail to grasp his main points. Fundamentalist Islam as an alternative to liberal democratic capitalism? Just where exactly have people, when given the opportunity to freely elect their leaders, chosen a Taliban-like model? And what have such regimes, when they have grabbed power, brought people except poverty and brutality? As for the absence of capitalism in the Judeo-Christian world in the 7th and 8th centuries (!), one need not have read Karl Polanyi's "Great Transformation" to understand that many complex changes had to unfold before national markets arose; any regular history book should suffice. Modern democracy, too, could not have taken root over a thousand years ago for precisely the same reason. Mandelbaum is not saying that all you need for markets and democracy is the Judeo-Christian ethic; he identifies it as being AMONG the critical factors that promoted their growth. Alas, even the most lucid writer is fated to have his ideas misunderstood. Buy the book; it's terrific.

Modern media often creates a myopic sense of history. We become so focused on what has happened in the last few years, that we miss the big pictures. Mike Mandelbaum looks at the last hundred or so years to remind us that the core values most Americans treasure -- Peace, Liberty and Free Markets -- are not in retreat, but have been increasingly adopted by the rest of the world. Mandelbaum also reminds us that historical trends do not move in straight lines -- that even as the world moved inexorably in these directions during the 20th Century, we still experienced wars, brutal dictators, and popular proponents of centralized economic planning. It gives one a much greater sense of optimism that the negative reporting from our daily media will one day look as silly as those who "reported" in the sixties that Communism had proved itself a viable alternative to Western Capitalism.

If you, like me, have become a follower of the thoughts of Thomas Friedman, you'll love this book, too. Its clear, entertaining detail of "liberal" history---and in this context, even Newt Gingrich was a liberal---and the triumph of the ideas of Woodrow Wilson is a great read. I credit Friedmen with awakening interest in foreign policy analysis, but I credit people like Mandelbaum, Friedman and Walter Russell Mead for providing foreign policy analysis that is passionate and engaging, rather than what I expected, which was dry and over-informative.My only criticism of the book was the first third was a little repetitive. He kept repeating the part about the triumph of Wilson's ideas, but I started to say, "Hey, I GET IT already."Anyway, that shouldn't scare anyone off. If you are interested in this type of reading, I would highly recommend reading this one.

Michael Mandelbaum, one of America's foremost thinkers on world politics, has written a book about the political and economic forces shaping the world. His analysis is a model of clarity and incisiveness and offers a refreshing alternative to the now-standard prophecies of gloom and doom. Mandelbaum is a professor, but he writes like a novelist, and in this book, which gives the average reader a wonderful framework for understanding everything in the news today and tomorrow, he makes his points with great stories, and even some jokes. He's a great writer, and I recommend this book without hesitation. It's a pleasure to read, from start to finish. It makes sense of our world, which many say has been irrevocably changed by the September 11 attacks, without getting caught in the weeds and by highlighting the critical, long-term ideas and trends that are shaping it. There's no better book out there if you want to understand where we are headed and why. A great buy--and a great read.