Thinking about The J Curve
I have a review of Ian Bremmer’s The J Curve in today’s Wall Street Journal (alas, subscriber only): Ian Bremmer has a big idea, and the title of his book literally spells it out. He argues in ?The J Curve? that the relationship between ?stability? and ?political and economic openness to the outside world? resembles ...
I have a review of Ian Bremmer's The J Curve in today's Wall Street Journal (alas, subscriber only): Ian Bremmer has a big idea, and the title of his book literally spells it out. He argues in ?The J Curve? that the relationship between ?stability? and ?political and economic openness to the outside world? resembles nothing so much as the letter ?J.? Countries that close themselves off completely from outside influence?North Korea, for instance?can retain a measure of political stability. They inhabit the low up-curl of the J?s left side. Countries that are completely open?liberal democracies like the U.S.?are even more stable. They occupy the highest precincts of J?s tall main stem. As countries move from closure to openness, though, political stability will fall before it rises?they slide downward, at least at first, to the low well of the J. In some cases, the fall is so precipitous that it leads to failed states, such as Yugoslavia, Somalia and Nigeria.... For those who have paid little attention to the outside world for the past few years, ?The J Curve? offers a useful primer. For everyone else, it will serve as a warning about the danger of fitting the world?s geopolitical complexity into a single letter. You'll have to read the review to see why I was not convinced. Or, click here to view an excerpt from the book and draw your own conclusions. I should also point out that I'm in the decided minority on being unimpressed, if these blurbs and these reviews are any indication. Full disclosure: Ian was a few years ahead of me in the Stanford Ph.D. program in political science -- and he was nice enough to put me on The J Curve's blogroll.
I have a review of Ian Bremmer’s The J Curve in today’s Wall Street Journal (alas, subscriber only):
Ian Bremmer has a big idea, and the title of his book literally spells it out. He argues in ?The J Curve? that the relationship between ?stability? and ?political and economic openness to the outside world? resembles nothing so much as the letter ?J.? Countries that close themselves off completely from outside influence?North Korea, for instance?can retain a measure of political stability. They inhabit the low up-curl of the J?s left side. Countries that are completely open?liberal democracies like the U.S.?are even more stable. They occupy the highest precincts of J?s tall main stem. As countries move from closure to openness, though, political stability will fall before it rises?they slide downward, at least at first, to the low well of the J. In some cases, the fall is so precipitous that it leads to failed states, such as Yugoslavia, Somalia and Nigeria…. For those who have paid little attention to the outside world for the past few years, ?The J Curve? offers a useful primer. For everyone else, it will serve as a warning about the danger of fitting the world?s geopolitical complexity into a single letter.
You’ll have to read the review to see why I was not convinced. Or, click here to view an excerpt from the book and draw your own conclusions. I should also point out that I’m in the decided minority on being unimpressed, if these blurbs and these reviews are any indication. Full disclosure: Ian was a few years ahead of me in the Stanford Ph.D. program in political science — and he was nice enough to put me on The J Curve‘s blogroll.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
More from Foreign Policy

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?
The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World
It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing
The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.