Here are some new books that I have been traveling with lately
Dark Money
Interesting at the beginning, but then too detailed and repeatative. An account of when, how and at which cost Koch family financed Trump’s ascent to power. From an outsider, it was interesting to learn the know-how of modern intronisation.
The Narrow Corridor
Ouf. Still reading it. Too disturbing for me. Quite a frank representation of societies, cruelty, agression, subjugation. The midieval notion of Leviathan as the state, realised in the book of Thomas Hobbes analysed and applied to the 21st century world.
The conclusion is rather interesting. The Leviathan represents state absolute power and violence and repression is a natural part of the state’s essence. However, there are 3 types of societies today. The stateless, the autocratic and the democratic ones. Therefore the Leviathan can be “chained”, restricted, managed. Or “unchained” in the likes of autocratic and repressive regimes.
I would recommend this book for those, interested in the social contract theory. What are the norms and how they evolve. Why certain things are acceptable and others aren’t. This book is about it.
And the narrow corridor means the path from autocracy to democracy. The reasons why most post colonial world has failed to transform into the Western liberal model explained.
Owning the Earth.
My book of the year. Definately.
Modern history, key world events, transformation of society into what we are today explained by focusing on the 2 main ideas of how we own the earth (privately or collectively).
Slavery, serfdom, England’s industrial revolution, colonial world conquests, Russian and Chinese territorial expansions, American war for independence, all these events carefully analysed and reviewed from the land ownership perspective.
Fascinating.