Justin Malzac

Sounds Like a Ghostwriter

Revisado: 12-06-23

Certainly, the resolution of over a half century of conflict in Columbia is an essential story. And I feel safe assuming Juan Manuel Santos is a great man deserving of all his accolades. But I did not get much of that from this book. I went in looking for a inside account of the history of the conflict with the FARC and it's resolution, and I'm honestly not sure what I took away. One thing is for sure, it feels like this was written by a ghost writer and not Santos himself. Some of it might be caused by translations, but there are some things that just jump out as not being autobiographical. For one, in some places the book is annoyingly self-congratulatory, and in others dishonestly humble. It just doesn't feel like a singular, personal voice. And another hint is that the book is overflowing with long quotes from Santos's previous speeches and writings. This, along with the author's habit to call out by name every single person involved in every single event, means only a third or less of the book is actual content about the historical events or Santos's perspective. There's just not a lot of deep value in between all the fluff and filler.

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Excellent Summary of Modern Information

Revisado: 11-18-23

I enjoyed this book a lot more that I expected, and finished it in relative speed. The narration is also very good. The book does two things very well. The first is showing how significant events in history have affected our modern Information environment. I found these historical examinations to be complleling. The second thing the book does is present an understanding of the information environment and infrastructure today, with a focus on problems and weaknesses. I think you can probably find books that do one of these two things better, especially if focused on very specific topics like cyber. But this book provides a great generalized look at the dawn of the information age. Ignore the 1 star ratings. While the authors polictical leanings are easy to divine based on what examples he chooses to use, the content is largely accurate. Only left or right wing extremists who live in a false reality would take issue with most of the well argued points in the book.

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Old, Tired Ideas

Revisado: 05-31-23

I rarely leave bad reviews, but I felt the need with this one. I have to admit, I didn’t finish DESTINED FOR WAR by Graham Allison. As someone with significant academic experience with the history, economics, and culture of East Asia, I found the book to be shallow, vague, and often plainly inaccurate. It reads as a mash of things that have been written elsewhere. The author seems very well read on what was written on China in the 70s and 80s, but not with anything current. The section that lost me was about the “culture conflict” between the U.S. and China. He argues that Confucianism makes culture and politics fundamentally different in China, and uses this as an excuse for CCP authoritarianism. Of course, the author fails to mention that Chinese culture and historical roots have not prevented democracy and capitalism from emerging in Taiwan, a country still led by the same Han Chinese that rule the mainland. But the author’s ignorance of the region is most clearly revealed by the lack of discussion on Korea, which has been far more Confucian than China for centuries, and yet represents one of the most healthy and thriving democracies in the world. The argument that there are cultural issues that block “western” ideals from gaining ground in Asia has long been refuted by reality. There are many other inaccuracies in the general arguments of the book. You’re better off picking up a newer book from an author who didn’t live through the Kissinger’s approach with China.

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A New Perspective of World History

Revisado: 01-02-23

It is no secret that I love the work of Yuval Noah Harari. In this complex work, Tamim Ansary proves himself an equal. Whereas Harari’s seminal work, SAPIENS, focused on the ability of humans to utilize abstract concepts to create new communities, Ansary focuses on who these communities were (which he calls “constellations”) and the grand ideas that unified them. As such, the book starts as an anthropological work, examining human mental capacity and cultural development. But soon, it becomes a world history, but one focusing on ideas rather than events. Ansary shows how a common idea—whether that be religious, philosophical, or social—created a unified identity among certain people and led to political change. Such ideas include the deification of leaders in ancient Mesopotamia, Chinese Legalism, the rise of Christianity, the progress narrative of the enlightenment era, and Marxism. For each concept, he connects the development of the grand narrative to what he calls the “Ms”: Money, Math, Messaging, Management, and Might. These components are what sustain an empire, but cannot survive without a unifying narrative. The book ends by touching briefly on the machine age, the world wars, and post-nation state period into which we are emerging. The book is written with skill, and Ansary narrates the audiobook himself. That he sounds like my late grandfather’s lost twin is a sentimental bonus.

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Key Text on Information Warfare

Revisado: 01-02-23

If you want to understand the arrival and development of cyber warfare, this is the place to start. Kaplan traces the emergence of networked computers in the 1980s, including the effect the film WARGAMES had on then-President Reagan’s national security policy, through to the modern era. The book was published in 2016, so you won’t find discussions of election interference or the war in Ukraine, but it will nonetheless give you the foundation from which to interpret current events. What is wonderful about Kaplan’s book is the deep, inside scoop he manages to get from key political insiders. This isn’t just what was reported in the New York Times in the 90s. Kaplan reveals the internal policy making and political fights that led to, among other things, the creation of CYBERCOM and the deployment of Stuxnet. A must read for anyone interested in information warfare. All the better that the book is well-written, easy to follow, and the Audible narrator is excellent.

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One of the Best Great Courses

Revisado: 12-28-22

Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius does the absolute best courses, this is no different. A great discussion of European history. I’ve said it before—I love the great courses. Since I listen to them on the same audio platform as my history books, I consider them audiobooks, too. And of all the dozens of lecturers I have listened to, Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius is one of the best. He has a great voice, and a confident stage presence. But he is also extremely knowledgeable about his particular fields. Among the many courses I’ve listened to this year, A HISTORY OF EASTERN EUROPE stands far above, both in terms of quality and also relevance. If you want to understand how we came to another war on the European continent in 2022, this is a good place to start. Prof. Liulevicius traces the development of the many distinct Eastern European cultures and identities through the rise of the nation state era, the dominance of Soviet communism, though to the modern era. The course was releases in 2015, so it does not touch on the current war in Ukraine and many other modern topics, but it provides all the background you need to start to understand these conflicts. I thought I knew a lot about European history, and this course only revealed the depth of my ignorance. Well-presented and effectively structured, I strongly recommend this course to everyone.

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No surprises

Revisado: 02-23-22

I was hoping for some unconventional choices and a chance to learn something new, but the women chosen were the easiest, most over done stories.

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Concise yet fulfilling.

Revisado: 01-15-22

Simply well done. Covers a whole lot of ground but still manages to maintain several recurring themes.

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One of the best

Revisado: 12-20-21

I've listened to a lot of the Great Courses, and I've love most of them. But this is easily one of the best . My only criticism is that it's comparatively short.

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Great lecturer.

Revisado: 02-05-21

Very informative course by a very knowledgeable and well-spoken lecturer. Definitely at the top of my list for Great Courses.

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