Chris Patten - What's next?

One of my forays into international relations, politics and (most) things concerning the globe. All in all, this was a great read. Patten writes very eloquently, and with style to add too. His thoughts are lucid and well presented, and he does not hesitate to take a stand and give his own view of issues.

But it is a thick book, and it sure took me a really long time to finish reading it.

Some of my key takeaways from the book:

1. At the personal level, it is often said that it is the way we choose to react to an issue that says more about our character and has more impact on the future than the issue itself. The same goes for larger and more complex entities such as the nation state. In this regard, the way that the US and the rest of the world chose to react to the Sep 11 attacks has brought the world inevitably down this path of an ever-growing fissure between the West and Islamic world.
   
2. Dealing with issues on your own terms and never compromising on your principles, even if the enemy is ruthless. Democracies should live by their principles when fighting terrorists - in this regard the previous administration has lost much of its credibility in the eyes of countries that look to it as model, and increased cynicism amongst those who believe democracy is but a hypocritical veil for what ultimately are unbridled pursuits of self-interests.
3. I never knew this connection existed - the drug consumers in NYC and the rest of US are indirectly financing the military in Afghanistan. (Drug trade is about 40-60% of its GDP.)
4. "Solutions to the problems of global warmings are primarily issues of politics, not economics or environmental policy, and politics should be the answer..."
5. Chinese leaders face an existential crisis with regards to their centrally managed industrial economy. If they give the industry too much rein, the party may lose control of the state. On the other hand, if they continue to hold on to these industries with an iron fist, they also risk foreign investment flagging and leading to a slowdown / loss in competitiveness in their economy. The failure on the part of the party to fulfill its end of the social contract will result in it losing control of the state.
   
6. The world is built along the boundaries of nation-states. However, the issues that face the world are increasingly global in nature. (Disease, drugs, terrorism, etc) How nations can work together to deal with these issues will be critical in how the world develops in the new millennium.