Description: Shaper Nations provides perspectives on the national strategies of eight countries that are shaping global politics in the twenty-first century. The volume's authors offer a unique viewpoint: they live and work primarily in the country about which they write, bringing an insider's feel for national debates and politics.
Brief description: William I. Hitchcock is Professor of History at the University of Virginia.
Review Quotes: The idea that some states, while not Great Powers, play a very large role in shaping the development of their regions is a good one, and the essays by a diverse set of authors provide insightful and well-grounded discussions of the particular cases. Furthermore, they speak to one another and are pulled together by strong introductory and concluding chapters. Readers will learn a lot about an important set of countries, how the U.S. may respond, and what this means for the future of world politics.--Robert Jervis, author of Why Intelligence Fails