Writing in International Affairs, John Keane, author of The Life and death of Democracy compliments my trade and disputes my conclusions of Democracy Kills.  

‘Hawksley is an intrepid surivor of a declining species, a brave and honest foreign reporter with a strong reputation for questioning shibboleths. It is thus a pity that the book, a set of well-written enecdotes drawn from world-wide assignments during the past two decades,  is tempted for the sake of sales to sensationalise its subject.”

John’s review is an important addition to the debate on democracy and he skillfully shows up the difference in the roles of reporter and academic.

Click here: Democracy Kills                                    Click here: Democracy Kills

Many thanks to Andrew Kelly, Katrina Brodin  and others for bringing me to Glagow’s Aye Write Book Festival. Their hospitality, conversation and tutelage in the origins of the  Glasgow Kiss will be unforgettable. Thanks also to Marc Lambert for skillfully guiding my session on globalisation. With the  raconteur and journalist Alex Perry, the urbane and challenging Dominique Moisi and a stimulating audience we teased out some crucial issues.  I like this one:- One of the bigger fall outs from the Western economic crisis is  that China has been given a seat at the top table a decade or so too early. The greed for bankers bonuses tilted the strategic balance of power.

Â
Click here: Democracy Kills                   Click here: Democracy Kills

Heading for Glasgow for the Aye Write Book Festival to join a panel with Dominic Moisi and Alex Perry on the future of globalisation.

Saturday 6th March
18:30 – 20:00
Current affairs/Journalism
£7/£6

I’m preparing to chair a debate on Trade, Aid or Both: The Answer to Global Development?

Date: March 1
Venue: Grimond Room, Portcullis House, Bridge Street, London SW1A 2LW. 
Time: 6 to 8pm

Come along. It’s feisty and free and something that impacts on us all.

Is aid the most effective instrument to promote sustainable development? Donor countries are coming under increasing pressure to improve their behaviour and procedures. In this discussion, leading experts in the field will examine current approaches and provide insights into how removing trade barriers and other obstacles can shape the development prospects for many poor countries.

 

Click here: Democracy Kills

I am enjoying Steig Larsson’s Millenium Trilogy. At the beginning of the second installment The Girl Who Played with Fire, Lisbeth Salander is in Granada on which Larsson gives her a side comment:-

Then the United States invaded and set up democracy. As far as Grenada was concerned, this meant that unemployment rose from around 6 per cent to almost 50 per cent, and that the cocaine trade once more became the largest source of income.

Click here: Democracy Kills