Acknowledgments

Writing a book is like swimming across an ocean: no one can do it for you, but you would be foolish to attempt the long journey without the support of people you trust. I am indebted to the friends, family, and colleagues who kept me from losing my way over the course of this project. Binya Appelbaum, Steve Davis, Joe Dieleman, Trish Dorff, David Fidler, Betsy Fuller, Eric Goosby, Richard Haass, Kelly Henning, Olivia Judson, Ruth Levine, Jim Lindsay, Chris Murray, Devi Sridhar, and Gina Suh all read drafts of this book and offered invaluable advice and criticism. Also helpful were the incisive comments provided by Alyssa Ayres, John Campbell, and Michael Clemens on particular chapters. I am likewise grateful to David Bishai, Mushtaque Chowdhury, Tyler Cowen, Chris Dye, Alez Ezeh, Ed Glaeser, Miriam Gross, Mark Harrison, David Nalin, Ole Norheim, Steve Radelet, and Dean Spears for their suggestions and insights. Sabine Baumgartner, Daniel Burke, Kaitlin Christenson, and Monique Libby generously located exhibits that appear in this book. Lisa Ortiz and Amanda Shendruk gave great advice that immeasurably improved the design and clarity of the figures and maps in this book. My thanks also to the anonymous reviewers of the manuscript for their unsparing and constructive critiques. Any errors that remain in this book are mine, as are all the views expressed.

Throughout this project I was fortunate to have tremendous research assistance, most especially from Matthew Cohen, who assisted in the data collection, analysis, fact checking, and editing of this text. I am also grateful to Caroline Andridge who was my research assistant when this book was conceived. My thanks also to Tara Templin, who was a consultant on research related to this book, and to all the interns who toiled on improving the manuscript: Jude Alawa, Birdy Assefa, Merykokeb Belay, Kofi Gunu, Ewodaghe Harrell, Stephanie McKay, and Yuqian Zhang.

I am indebted to Bloomberg Philanthropies for financial support for research incorporated into this book. I am also grateful to the Rockefeller Foundation, which granted me a writing residency at the beautiful Villa Serbelloni, Bellagio, where I conceived the broad outline of this book. Julia Fromholz did a heroic edit of an early draft of this book, sending her handwritten comments from Islamabad, page by page, via an iPhone camera. Tom Redburn edited this manuscript twice and vastly improved the text with his sharp eye and terrific blend of constructive criticism and warm encouragement. Finally, my thanks to my literary agent Andrew Wylie, and Bob Prior, Judy Feldmann, and Anne-Marie Bono at the MIT Press, for their enthusiastic support and enduring contributions to this book.

Every writer of a book thanks family, but truly this book would never have happened without the love and support of mine. Paul Bollyky was a sounding board throughout the production of this book and knew I could write it even when I did not. Andrea Bollyky Purcell and Laszlo Bollyky read drafts of the manuscript, endured my endless complaints, and provided constant encouragement. My greatest appreciation goes to my wife, Brooke, who did without me for far too long because of this book, but never stopped believing in it, or in me.