This collection of essays spans a range of subjects, including: Aquino's Philippines, where the horses ate better than the stable hands; and political assassinations in contemporary Thailand, where government posts have become so lucrative that to gain them candidates will kill their rivals.

While Cornell's Benedict Anderson is best known for his classic book on nationalism, IMAGINED COMMUNITIES, many of his most incisive interventions have been made in his essays. Those collected here span a range of subjects from Aquino's Philippines to political assassination in modern Thailand. Anderson brings out the subtle imbrication of politics, national imaginings, bureaucracy, and modernization.