IN THE MAIL: Vali Nasr’s Forces of Fortune: The Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What It Will Mean for Our World.

UPDATE: Michael Totten emails that the book is very good, and that he’s got a review coming out in the New York Times. He adds: “Obama hired him as an advisor, and I’m glad he did. Nasr is a staunch capitalist who argues at length how much damage state management of the economy has done to Middle Eastern countries. I hope the president gets an earful.” It could be educational.