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From a century of dispatches by Institute of Current World Affairs fellows, these selections reflect their extraordinary achievements while living among and writing about global societies. The excerpts are remarkable snapshots of their journeys and storied careers. Some are included for their keen storytelling, others for eyewitness accounts of historically important developments, still others for lyrical descriptions that make people and places come alive.
In addition to their descriptions of international cultures and affairs, written from the perspective of deep immersion, some of these pages point to where the United States deepened problems and otherwise fell short in its stated goals. Others raise eternal questions still being asked, while still more reflect telling views from different eras. Taken together, they describe a rainbow of humanity, the kaleidoscope of our commonalities and differences.
Around the World in 100 Years
On the morning of December 17, I left Nanking aboard a C-47 bound for Beijing. None of the 13 persons aboard the plane knew whether or not we would be able to land at our destination. Four days previously, the Communist Army had opened an attack on the city. The west airfield was known to be out of commission. The south field was reported to be under fire from Communist artillery, and Red troops were said to be closing in everywhere around the city. We crossed our fingers and hoped it would be possible to land, and fortunately it was.
So the renowned China scholar Doak Barnett begins his eyewitness reporting about the Communist siege of Beijing in 1948 as a fellow of the Institute of Current World Affairs. From his gripping accounts to diplomat and India expert Phillips Talbot’s conversations with Gandhi, to journalist Nick Schmidle’s descriptions of one of the most notorious radical clerics in Pakistan after September 11, to deeply personal stories about life in post-apartheid South Africa, earthquake devastation in Haiti and moving stories about adventures and encounters around the world, this collection of writing provides insight into 100 years of global developments. Readers will find the stories riveting, poignant and illuminating.
Reviews
“Sending professionals abroad for extended periods in order to immerse themselves in the daily lives, political and economic churn, and constantly unfolding histories of countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas—to achieve genuine cultural fluency, social proximity and professional interconnectivity—is one the most important goals an organization can embrace. This wonderful compendium spans the globe, placing us squarely within the intimate, vivid lived experiences of ICWA fellows from 1925 to the present day.” – Andrew Mertha, George and Sadie Hyman Professor of China Studies, Johns Hopkins/SAIS; director of the SAIS China Research Center
“Around the World in 100 Years is a formidable undertaking. Breathtaking, really. What a vision its founder Charles Crane had. This anthology is a story of history and culture, of idealism, aspiration and inspiration. Indeed, it’s the nooks and crannies that drive all this forward, that knit all this together. How wonderfully idiosyncratic in a world that so often demands the homogeneous, and forgets to reward sheer curiosity.” – Jeffrey Gedmin, president/CEO, Middle East Broadcasting Networks
“As the United States retreats from the world, it is inspiring to read stories by Americans who chose to learn about societies so different from our own. For one hundred years, Institute of Current World Affairs fellows have applied their knowledge to make America wiser.” – Ted Osius, US ambassador to Vietnam (ret.), author of Nothing Is Impossible: America’s Reconciliation with Vietnam
If you would like to order multiple copies at a discount, please email bruce@icwa.org.
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