The Foreign Service Journal, November 2009

22 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 9 Well-known American architects and designers, including R. Buck- minster Fuller, Charles and Ray Eames, GeorgeNelson, Peter Blake, Ivan Chermayeff and Thomas Geis- mar, played major roles in designing the U.S. presence at important world expositions. In 10 chapters devoted to particular fairs and types of exhibitions, the authors present the contributions made by these and other artists, architects and designers. The story of how each exhibit was put together and the response it received is illustrated with fully restored photographs of the event. The text draws on Masey’s recollections, recently declassified documents, unpub- lished memoirs and photographs, interviews with sur- viving members of U.S. design teams and others. Jack Masey served with the United States Informa- tion Agency from 1951 to 1979, spending many years there as director of design. In 1979, he formed his own design office that, in partnership with Chermayeff & Geismar, designed the Ellis Island Immigration Mu- seum and the Statue of Liberty Museum in New York City. Conrad Lloyd Morgan is a senior lecturer at the University of Wales’s Newport School of Art, Media and Design in Newport, R.I. He has published more than 20 books on contemporary design, architecture and de- sign history. ISSUES & POLICY Eurasia’s New Frontiers: Young States, Old Societies, Open Futures Thomas W. Simons Jr., Cornell University Press, 2008, $25, hardcover, 177 pages. Since 1991, Americans have generally ignored developments in the 15 post-Soviet successor states. That such a strategically important region could be left to stagnate under partial or full-blown authoritarian regimes with sickly civil societies is unacceptable to for- mer Ambassador Thomas Simons. As he explains in his book, the U.S. has the potential to drastically change the region for the better, with substantially less risk and cost than was incurred during the Cold War. Simons sees the ailing civil societies of post-Soviet nations as possibly the greatest challenge to stability and vibrancy in the region. This lack of community leads to the development of ethnic- and religious-based na- tionalism, a divisive and harmful force. If the U.S. seeks stability and the advancement of its own ideals in these newborn states, he argues, it must lend a hand in the formation of an effective and inclusive civil society. According to Simons, these nations’ Soviet heritage has left a “secret gift” of potentially strong state institutions that should make the task easier. Building on this, Washington should adopt a pragmatic and individual- ized policy toward each nation is needed. It may take time, but American ideals and interests can still take hold in this strange, new frontier — if we are willing to make the effort. Thomas W. Simons Jr. was a Foreign Service officer from 1963 to 1998. He served as ambassador to Poland and to Pakistan and as coordinator of U.S. assistance to the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union. Amb. Simon is a visiting scholar at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and a lecturer in government at Harvard University. He is the author of three previous books, including Islam in a Globalizing World (Stanford Law and Politics, 2003). From Nyet to Da: Understanding the New Russia Yale Richmond, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2009, $24.95, paperback, 168 pages. For many, Russia remains an enigmatic political entity and mys- terious land. This book is for us. As Russia expert Marshall Gold- man says, it is the “ideal book for the foreigner who seeks to understand why Russia is and is not just like other Eu- ropean countries.” Highly readable, From Nyet to Da addresses all as- pects of Russian life, from interpersonal mores to geog- raphy, cultural issues, government institutions and negotiation tactics. Initially published in 1992, this fourth edition provides an updated look at the Russian charac- ter and current geopolitical situation. It sheds light on the dynamics of traditional Russian culture in the frame- work of events such as the March 2008 elections and the Georgian conflict of August 2008. “Whatever form of democracy emerges in Russia, his- tory tells us that it will be based on many of the same forces that have shaped Russia in the past — geography, religion, culture and governance. The new state will be neither European nor Asian, but uniquely Russian,”