Age of Crisis issue, July 2012 |
I’ve just finished reading an excellent issue of the New Statesman called “Age of crisis (and
how to survive it).” Edited by David Miliband, the former British foreign
secretary brings together a global cast of politicians and thinkers
putting forward a range of ideas on finding our way out of our current predicament.
High points included former Australian PM Kevin Rudd’s
excellent essay on China and the West and the fundamental questions that
Western leaders need to answer in order to effectively engage with China.
Michael Semple’s fascinating interview with a Taliban leader was also
illuminating.
Relative low points came in the form of Hillary Clinton’s
tedious and uninspiring piece on “The future of American power.” The Secretary
of State offered nothing new but rather reiterated America’s foreign policy
approach.
What was pleasing was that, while Milliband obviously has
access to a wide circle of friends from whom he can draw on, there were
counter-intuitive contributions that challenge the status-quo. Ozwald Boateng
on how Africa can help Britain out of the crisis and Sir Richard Branson
talking about the benefits of EU membership and immigration are two examples of
this.
In short, it’s been a long time since I’ve read a New Statesman from cover to cover. As
far as this particular issue goes, I’d encourage you to do the same.
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