The Foreign Service Journal, November 2006

Radio: A Post Nine-Eleven Strategy for Reaching the World’s Poor Stephen Sposato and W. A. Smith, University Press of America, Inc., 2005, $34.00, paperback, 243 pages. In the era of fiber optics, high-speed Internet connec- tions, and ever-faster commu- nications technology breakthroughs, it is useful to ponder the revolutionary potential of the humble radio. In this interesting book, development practi- tioners Steven Sposato and William A. Smith review the history of distance communication and the rise of information radio in the 1930s through its peak in the 1970s. They present a series of case studies examin- ing the innovative use of radio in fostering develop- ment. In bringing to light these little-known stories, the authors make a compelling case for radio’s ability to play a critical role in teaching as well as entertain- ing today. Stephen Sposato has 25 years of experience as an economist with USAID, specializing in development communication issues for the last five years. William A. Smith is executive vice president of the Academy for Educational Development, a nonprofit that spe- cializes in applying modern communication to social change and development. A New Vision for America: Toward Human Solidarity through Global Democracy John Richardson, Ruder Finn Press, 2006, $25.00, paperback, 225 pages. In a lively, personal style, John Richardson traces the evolution of his worldview from his elite prep- school days to service as a World War II paratrooper, and on to careers in the private sector and in public service. He was CEO of Radio Free Europe for eight years, and later served as assistant secretary of State for educational and cultural affairs. He has also had leadership responsibilities in a host of education- al and service organizations. With a foreword by for- mer deputy secretary of State John C. Whitehead, this memoir is part of the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series. Africa Reawakening: What the Continent Did with International Aid James F. Conway, Beckham Publications Group, 2004, $19.95, paperback, 100 pages. For decades, development professionals have wrung their hands over the failure of poli- tical and economic develop- ment in Africa despite massive injections of assistance and the continent’s own plen- tiful natural resources. “What is the secret formula? What are the mistakes not to be repeated? Why is the aid not working like a Marshall Plan?” These are some of the questions author Jim Conway asks. Refreshingly, in this book, he neither presents uni- versalistic formulas nor proposes easy solutions. Instead, we have the insights from his own 15-year experience working in Africa, which “suggest suc- cesses and open a door to tomorrow,” as he puts it in the introduction. James Conway worked in Africa from 1974 to 1987 and from 1993 to 1994, through organizations such as the Church World Service and the U.N. World Food Program. Since 2003, he has worked for USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance in Angola and Sudan; he is now working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. U.S. National Security and Foreign Direct Investment Edward G. Graham and David M. Marchick, Institute for International Economics, 2006, $23.95, paperback, 224 pages. Foreign investment in the U.S. raised alarm bells in Congress and the nation follow- ing the Dubai Ports World 72 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 OF RELATED INTEREST