Stephen
D. King’s Grave New World is a thorough discussion of the current global world, divided not as much
between conservative and liberal thinking as between globalization and nationalism. The book tackles much of the current state of affairs in Britain with Brexit,
America with the current political environment, and elsewhere around the world,
neatly packaging a short history of how we got to where we are.
From
there, the picture muddles. While King’s book offers an excellent summary explaining why the world is in its current political state, there is not much concrete substance to promote sound solutions to appease either side of the
debate, offering some arguments for continuing international partnerships like
NATO and the UN but not more suggestions on how to strengthen those
partnerships or how to adapt those that exist to fit a world that is
evolving fast. The instances where he does go into some level of substance on
tackling the problems can come across a bit wonky, and King spends a fair amount
of time challenging those who are against NATO, the UN, etc. to come up with
reasons why nationalism makes sense given the challenges that are on the horizon
politically in Russia and China. He also challenges the global community to
sell the deal better but doesn’t offer much in solutions on how to get those
who have been burned by automation and free trade back on track.
If
you’re into economics, history, and/or politics, and can approach those topics from a
non-biased perspective, King provides a great backdrop on how we’ve arrived at
the current place we're in and makes a broad argument for
global partnerships based on history, economic impact, and overall prosperity
that globalization has brought the world through time. The suggestions to
improve our partnerships domestically and abroad, however, come up a bit light
in my eyes, and it prevents a good read from being a great one
MY RATING - 3
.