george_odera's reviews
68 reviews

Very informative book. The intricacies of the Trump White House are laid bare for the world to see: the huncho, rather than informed intelligence, behind American policy. The spontenous, rather than the meditated, decisions made in the Oval Office. The preference of 280 (previously 140) characters, usually replete with falsehood, rather than laid out pages of statements to convey presidential messages. The book is slightly undone by its parlance: for the non-American or non-intelligence reader like myself, the book requires quite some endeavour to properly understand some areas.

Ian Bremmer is one of the most brilliant minds in political economy. He exhibits a sixth sense in assessing world affairs. I have read 2 of his books (the other being Us v Them) and can curtly summarise them as "Why the world is the way it is". This 2010 book is a harbinger of the 2018 world.
However, for all his brilliance, Ian Bremmer is an AMERICAN economist(hence a de facto Friedmanite). The book is riddled with gushing praise of free-market capitalism, without highlighting many of its patent shortcomings. In fact, the 2008/2009 financial crisis is highlighted as the only negative manifestation of free markets. Brenmer even goes so far as to equate global economic growth to free market capitalism, which is too facile a phenomenon. State capitalism, on the other hand, is painted in bad picture as being detrimental to global economy. It is however noteworthy that some of these nuances have been captured in his latest book, Us v Them.
This book is a good read for anyone purporting to have an understanding of global affairs. Applaudisez, Bremmer👏.

This is easily the best book I have read. For those having a penchant for geopolitics, this book takes you down Memory Lane from Mussolini to Hitler to Edrôgan and now, (take a deep breath), Donald Trump. It's almost surreal how Albright analyses the psychology of a fascist and his cheering crowd. Critiques will label the book as alarmist, which it is (and Albright admits so), but its argument is lodged so eloquently, chronologically and explicitly that you will be scared at the prospect of the fascist era to which we're headed. Not enough words can express how well the book is written, and I am tempted to cite numerous pages of it in this review. My cri de coeur to you, READ THE BOOK.

This book is conclusive of the impeachment process and its ramifications. Extensively covers matters American constitutional law, and, needless to say, it is a cache of knowledge for the ardent reader. Reader be warned, however, that Larry Tribe is a leftist, and was in fact lawyer for Al Gore in Bush v. Al Gore. The prose of the book, especially in its dying embers, may thus appeal more to the liberal than the conservative. Overall, a great read. Where Bob Mueller stops, this book will begin.

The book can be described as a journal of events surrounding the Trump foreign policy. Easy to rid if you're solicitous on modern geopolitics. The slight blemish to the book, I need to say, is that it proceeds in the premise that global leadership will, as a plenary, always serve American interests. In the last chapter, the books picks an alarmist tone, whose justification or lack of it thereof, only time will tell. Overall, an informative book.

As Bagus concedes, the most congruous title for this book would be Introduction to the Monetary
Theory of the Austrian School of Economics, a title which would not be appealing to the average reader. The book is enlightening, even for those who demur the Austrian school of thought. It is told in a story-telling prose, and the concept of money that is often arcane to macroecomists is explained to you like a five year old. Through money creation (after the collapse of the gold standard in 1971), we see how the state is an “expropriating property protector and a law-breaking law protector.” One of the best books I have read. Upon reading the book, your only regret will be that you didn't do it sooner.

I will recycle the Chicago Sun-Times' review of the book; "spins through a political world only slightly more insane, but a whole lot funnier, than the one we face everyday ". The book is riddled with humour, twists and turns, and a great narration of cases, both real and faux. In aggregation, the book is merry, escalist, funny and entertaining