Some countries prosper while others are left far behind. There are countries which have tried to progress at the cost of great human suffering and those which have reduced or even removed poverty. There are democracies and dictatorships, rogue nations and law-abiding ones. Ali Mahmood politician, thinker, businessman has been pondering over the question of why some nations remain poor and why others grow rich, and in Saints and Sinners he comes up with some surprising conclusions. Looking at the developing nations of Asia and Africa, he realizes that while peace, stability and good governance through the rule of law are essential to growth and prosperity, democracy is not necessarily the best way to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number. For, military leaders, from Mao to Lee Kuan Yew, have provided stability, scientific and technical excellence, economic growth and prosperity to their nations. There can be many reasons for spectacular success, but the factor that seems to override them all is that of leadership. No matter what the system, how hard the challenges, it is leaders who can take a nation through. As Ali Mahmood avers in this immensely engaging book, it is these rare and exceptional men and women who changed the destiny of nations and achieved the impossible.