"This book will certainly become a go-to reference for historians interested in the region and economists seeking better understanding of the mechanisms of default. ... this is an admirable work of nuanced historical interpretation that questions received generalizations and raises many questions for future research. Economists and economic historians interested in sovereign default, state capacity and even the debt crisis in the Eurozone will do well to read it." (Rui Esteves, EH.Net, March, 2016) "Ali Coskun Tuncer's work fills a historiographical gap concerning the establishment and the role of international financial control committees in Egypt ... . Ali Coskun Tuncer's work is essential reading, both for experts in the field and for all those interested in deep ening their understanding of the role of international financial committees in the Mediterranean in the nineteenth century." (Giampaolo Conte, The Journal of European Economic History, Issue 3, January, 2015)