Douglas Books

Let's start with the award. I was so impressed with this book that it received one of the ten Golden Candle Awards for most constructive and innovative work in the Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) field. It represents the second book in a body of work that may eventually be worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. The citation reads:

To Dr. Douglas M. Johnston, president and founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, for his path-finding efforts with regard to Preventive Diplomacy as well as Religion and Conflict Resolution. Among his many works, two stand out for defining a critical missing element in modern diplomacy: Religion, the Missing Dimension of Statecraft (Oxford University Press, 1994), and Faith-based Diplomacy: Trumping Realpolitik (Oxford University Press, 2003). He has restored the proper meaning of faith qua earnestness instead of faith qua zealotry, and this is a contribution of great importance.

With a foreword by no less than The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton, today a leader of the 9-11 Commission, the book drives a stake in the heart of secular "objective" negotiation and focuses on how faith (not zealotry, but earnest faith) can alter the spiral of violence in such places as Sudan, Kashmir, and the Middle East.

The editor and contributing author has assembled a multi-national and multi-religion cast of experts whose work in the aggregate completely supports the premise of the book: that the 21st Century will be about religion instead of ideology, and that what hopes we might have for reconciling "irreconcilable differences" lie in the balanced integration of religious dialog and conflict prevention, rather than in pre-emptive military action and unilateralist bullying.

I found two core concepts especially relevant to national security: the first is that we need an Office of Religious and Cultural Intelligence within the Central Intelligence Agency, and we need, as the authors suggest, to put religious attaches into every Embassy. The second, and this is a truly core concept, is "The price of freedom is cultural engagement--taking the time to learn how others view the world, to understand what is important to them, and to determine what can realistically be done to help them realize their legitimate aspirations."

This is a brilliant, scholarly, practical, world-changing book. It joins Max Manwaring's various books, but especially "The Search for Security," Joe Nye's earlier books on understanding the world and engaging the world with soft power, and George Soros as well as the several other books on my standard national security reading list. The conclusion of the book lists a number of means by which religion can impact on diplomacy and state-craft, and I for one have become a believer--this book completely altered my perspective on the role of religion as a peacemaker of substance and day-to-day practicality.

This insightful book examines the creation of the U.N. and today's issues. Below is an abbreviated review by H-Net I found on the Internet:
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Reviewed by Matthew S. Magda, Sacred Heart University.
Published by H-USA (December, 1997)
FDR and the Creation of the U.N.

The United Nations has received renewed attention since the end of the Cold War. In the early 1990s, especially following the success of the U.N.-authorized coalition against Iraq's military seizure of Kuwait, hopes rose among internationalists that the United Nations would now play its proper role as primary deterrent of international aggression. No longer fettered by the rivalry between the most powerful members of its Security Council, the United Nations could begin functioning as the guarantor of international peace and prosperity...

Currently, Americans are involved in both rational and emotionally-charged discussions about the future role of the United Nations and its potential impact on U.S. foreign policy... There are those who argue that a strong United Nations is essential because it will serve the long-term interests of the United States to have an institution with legitimate international credentials to turn to for help in settling conflicts and subduing threats to global stability. This latter view is shared by the authors of FDR and the Creation of the U.N.

In the Preface of their book, Townsend Hoopes and Douglas Brinkley tell readers that they hope to add needed historical perspective to the current debate on the future role of the United Nations. They believe that by doing so, they will remind Americans and others of the vital role played by Franklin D. Roosevelt and the United States in the creation of the United Nations. Finally, they seek to elevate understanding and discussion so that Americans would come to a more reasoned and consistent support for an institution which "embodies the highest hopes of mankind"

Hoopes and Brinkley explain how the failure of the League of Nations shaped the ideas of FDR and American policymakers... The absence of a strong League enabled aggressor states to pursue expansionist policies which eventually led to World War II. Therefore, FDR was determined that the mistakes of the past would be avoided. He wanted the United States to be a leader in the formation of a postwar international security organization.

... Hoopes and Brinkley believe that international peace depends on the formula first developed by FDR: a United Nations organization firmly backed by the United States. Such a formula worked well to deter aggression in Korea in the early 1950s and in the Persian Gulf in the 1990s.

FDR and the Creation of the U.N. is well written and its central idea persuasively argued. Readers will especially appreciate its tight organization with ample headings to identify topics or issues...

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Now in its fifth edition, Financial Institution Director's Liabilities and Responsibilities is a must read for all new board members. New editions contain updated information concerning the impact of FIRREA and FDICIA. The author can be contacted in Toledo, OH.

Given the competitive nature of the financial services sector, fresh thinking at the Board level is now seen as mandatory.

But if you are offered a Board seat at a community Bank, don't accept the assignment until you have read Dr. Douglas Austin's perceptive and readable analysis.

For example, did you know that you can be held PERSONALLY liable for losses resulting from fraud of officers, if ordinary care and attention would have prevented their actions?

Have I got your attention now?

Over 75,000 copies have been sold since 1984. The book is in its fourth edition.

Larry Stybel The Board of Directors' Resource Center Boston, MA