William J. Long is Professor in the Global Studies Institute and Department of Political Science at Georgia State University, and the former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He is the author of five books and numerous articles. Dr. Long is the recipient of research and teaching awards and grants from the Hewlett, Pew, Sloan, and MacArthur Foundations, the Fulbright Commission, the Carnegie Corporation, the European Union, and the U.S. Department of Education.

"William J. Long's Tantric State...is an excellent book...It seriously and profoundly employs and explains general Buddhism as paradigm, and it does so in outstanding, very erudite preliminary chapters that explain, better than any other recent work on Buddhist Economics for instance (my own included), what the Buddhist scriptural tradition here is." -- , Wolfgang Drechsler Asian Affairs

"In our troubled times, Tantric State provides us hope with a Buddhist approach to holistic, sustainable, and democratic development. He makes Mahayana Buddhism accessible, and engages the reader to think creatively about how small Bhutan can teach the rest of the world to live with awareness of our interdependence with others and the planet. This inspiring book provides us with the know-how and the will to move beyond consumption to true happiness."-Clair Brown, author of Buddhist Economics: An Enlightened Approach to the Dismal Science

"Tantric State is a carefully researched study of Bhutan's daring experiment in blending democratic and Buddhist values-an experiment in political organization and policy-making premised on the reality of deep interdependence between humanity and nature and across generations, and the conviction that humane politics must privilege compassion over competition. Long looks critically under the hood of Bhutanese efforts to heighten 'gross national happiness,' assessing their impacts over the decade since Bhutan made the world's first struggle- and violence-free democratic transition. But, he also holds the Bhutanese experiment up as a mirror in which to see our own political practices and prejudices from new angles. The view afforded by the Tantric State, in both directions, is revealing."-Peter D. Hershock, author of Valuing Diversity: Buddhist Reflection on Realizing a More Equitable Global Future

"In Tantric State, Professor Long convincingly examines how a small state like Bhutan, with Buddhist influence, enabled itself to face the challenges of political transition without compromising the ethos of development. An excellent insight into the foundation of a happy and modern democracy."-Rajesh S. Kharat, School of International Studies (SIS), JNU New Delhi