Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

Dateline: above the garage in Portsmouth RI, 26 December 2004

On the second day of Christmas, the Globalist gave to me . . . a #2 ranking as the second-most important book written on globalization this year.

Here's the announcement reposted from their site, which is for the most part restricted to subscribers:

Special Feature > 2004 in Review

The Globalist's Top Ten Books of 2004

By The Globalist | Thursday, December 23, 2004

In some ways, terrorism and the role of the United States in the world still shaped many a book on global issues in 2004. But beyond that, many of the most interesting books covered other ground, including the way the environment and regional futures shape our common destiny. Here are our top 10 books of 2004.

1. Stephen Glain: Mullahs, Merchants, and Militants [How have economic decay and political malaise created tragic consequences in the Arab world?]

2. Thomas P.M. Barnett: The Pentagon's New Map [Will the United States be able to improve the Middle East's position in the global economy?]

3. Emmanuel Todd: After the Empire [What accounts for America's deteriorating global authority?]

4. Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy: The Siberian Curse [How have Soviet planning and physical geography shaped Russia's economy?]

5. Elizabeth C. Economy: The River Runs Black [Can China's economic growth be reconciled with sound environmental policy?]

6. Martin Wolf: Why Globalization Works [Financial Times columnist Martin Wolf describes how globalization works — despite the efforts of the World Bank.]

7. L. Ronald Scheman: Greater America [What are the key factors in determining the future of geopolitics and power in Latin America?]

8. Sebastian Mallaby: The World's Banker [Have outside activists undermined World Bank development projects?]

9. Victoria Abbott Riccardi: Untangling My Chopsticks [Victoria Abbott Riccardi describes her year in Kyoto, engulfed by the tastes and customs of Japan.]

10. Howard Markel: When Germs Travel [Is eagerness to participate in the global economy a danger to countries' health — or an incentive to fight disease?]

COMMENTARY: I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that PNM is probably the only NYT best seller in the bunch, and when all is said and done it will outsell the other 9 books. And it will do all this without a review from either the Times or the Post.

Enjoy the rerun of the C-SPAN 20 December broadcast of my 6 December brief to the Highlands Forum and the subsequent live viewer call-in segment lasting an hour.

I will be too busy to watch: got a sick wife and eldest daughter, so I empty the buckets, keep the fire roaring, and assemble the toys.

Just kidding. I'll have it on in the background. It's a rare day when you get to watch 2.5 hours of yourself on TV!

Here's the catch of the day:

■ Americans care, some more than others

■ The year-end good, bad and ugly on China

■ The year-end good, bad and ugly on Russia

■ Islam: the opposition movement

■ In trade, bilats matter

■ Adjusting the rule set for Argentina

■ Zimbabwe: more bad signs on the horizon

■ Pakistan and bomb-selling: implicit villains in the Core, plenty of customers in the Gap

■ Postwar occupation planning in the Pentagon for Iraq: the magic cloud phenomenon