Now, now, friends, calm down. It is book review time. A few weeks ago (God, was it only last week?) I mentioned that I had finished Colussus. I never did get around to tell you what I thought of it, and I know that many of you are wondering, so I will tell you now. I found it much more enjoyable than Empire, which I had read maybe a month ago. I should say that I found the first two-thirds of it more enjoyable than Empire. Ferguson ended the book with chapter after chapter of econo-babble. Now, I'm not one to disagree that we are in a bit of a spot with Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid down the road; I just don't think one can take a static look at things and assume the worst. This is where I think Ferguson's monetary policy knowledge hurts him.
Having been schooled in economics at Chicago, I am tempted to take an economic look at everything (rational maximizing individuals and all that). However, I've lately been torn between whether economics or social structures are more important. For an example of what I'm talking about here one needs only to look at the development of poor countries. Does a country develop economically because of strong social structures or do strong social structures result from economic development? Today, I would argue for the former; a few years ago I may have been tempted to argue for the latter. I guess one can say that I've turned a bit away from economic determinism to social determinism. This is why I found the declinist arguments Ferguson makes somewhat lacking. There's more to say about this, but this is a blog not a thesis; you don't get no thought-through analysis here, just ideas thrown at a dartboard.
This is a two-fer review. Today, I finished reading The Rise of the Vulcans, about Bush's War Cabinet and I must say that this book is simply smashing. I could not put it down! I found it extremely level-headed and balanced, although I would have enjoyed more Condi (I love her). Out of all the Vulcans, I would say that I like Wolfowitz the best (U of C Straussian/Wohlstetterian represent!), but I like them all. Well, here is the order I like them in:
The book has re-invigorated my interest in pursuing graduate studies in international relations/political science. That being said, next week I spend my time getting ready to apply to MBA programs. I am prone to massive swings in plans, so if my next project is as awesome as I hope it will be, I'd best be prepared to chuck my PhD plans out the window and make money!