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The Wake-Up Call

Why the Pandemic Has Exposed the Weakness of the West - and How to Fix It

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About this listen

Good government is now the difference between living and dying....

The COVID crisis has not just highlighted the failures of certain governments, it is accelerating a shift in the balance of power from West to East. After a decade where politics in the US and the UK has been consumed with inward-facing struggles, countries like South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan as well as China have made extraordinary advances economically, technologically and politically.

In this beautifully crafted essay, Micklethwait and Wooldridge explain how we ended up in this mess and explore the possible routes out. If Western governments respond creatively to the crisis, they will have a chance of reversing decades of decline; if they dither and delay while Asia continues to improve, the prospect of a new Eastern-dominated world order will increase. The big question facing the world is whether the West can rise to the challenge as it has before.

©2020 John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge (P)2020 Octopus Publishing Group Elections & Political Process Political Science Politics & Government United States World China Capitalism Imperialism Government Socialism Russia
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Unusual in tackling a big real problem, the decline of the west. very perceptive in parts. tries but can't really hide a right wing agenda. for example takes a sympathetic view of the reason why the public sector is struggling and proposes structural changes but seems baffled as to why those arent adopted. a deeper analysis might look at where power lies, money, media etc

some important ideas

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If at any time you have felt that political party members appear just to say what they think you need to hear, just to receive their vote. If you also feel that they are never held to account,bonce they are in power, they fail to deliver the one thing you voted them in on. For me, this book is just the start to add reason to the journey of British and world politics. More please - once yearly political summaries would be welcome. Thank you.

Needs to be listened to....

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Well written with clear and precise points made by the authors. Excellently narrated by Kristin Scott Thomas.

Good

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Some important topics discussed and posed.....
I really hope this pandemic can be a vehicle for a worldwide reset and reflection on where we're as individual states and a global society.
In adversity, opportunities arise!

Very interesting!!!

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This excellent book covers a broad sweep of history and philosophy, beginning and ending with Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury’s view of the role of the Leviathan. It is essentially about how the democratic state needs to evolve and improve to meet the challenges of our times. It is full of witty observations and even includes a reference to the dystopian movie Taxi Driver. Wonderfully read by Kristin Scott Thomas. Highly recommend!

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