This book has not been a solitary exercise, but a true family adventure. My older son, Luca, has been not only my research assistant but a real intellectual and spiritual companion. I have greatly benefited from his philosophical culture, and he “held my hand” whenever I was seized by doubts. My wife, Diana Pinto, has read and reread my manuscript in its multiple versions. This book owes much to the depth of her commentaries and the strength of her deeply analytical and critical mind. As for my younger son, Laurent, he was based in Singapore at the time of my writing, and he has added his “Asian touch” to the manuscript.
My American editors, Charlie Conrad and Karl Weber, have played a major role in editing and adapting, if not tailoring, my Gallic way of thinking for an American and international audience. This book would simply not exist without them.
In the preparation for this book, I greatly benefited from friendly exchanges with many friends, colleagues, and students, in particular with Sergio Amaral, Jean-Claude Cousserand, Stanley Hoffmann, Roula Khalaf, Minxin Pei, Mahieddine Raoui, Olivier Roy, Shashi Taroor, and, last but not least, Martin Wolf.
This book, dedicated to emotions, owes much to the serene, green, and now peaceful surroundings in which it was mostly written—the Manche region of Normandy, the homeland of Alexis de Tocqueville as well as the site of some of the worst post-D-Day fighting of the Second World War more than sixty years ago. My months of writing there were made more delightful not only by the tranquil views of the countryside but also by the sound of Beethoven’s music, which served as the accompaniment to my work, giving it hope and helping it to transcend the risks of fear and humiliation.