Books, Films and
Reviews of Books on
Politics and Current Affairs

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A History of Political Theory (1961)
Although it was pubklished some time ago, it is still a good summary of political thought. You don't read that from cover to cover, but it is good if you want to have an outline of what a specific political theorist or philosopher thought.

Even though this book has a certain age, it is still the most comprehensive introduction to the subject. Even when I was a student, not everyone liked Sabine. Like all these types of summaries, it has its short comings. Though he gives a clear summary of what is essential in the many political writers throughout the centuries. Try to get a second hand hardback because you will consult it all your life!

The Empire and the Five Kings(2019) America's Abdication and the Faith of the World
The book provides a grand overview of civilizations in tumult if not overarching conflict. Lévy positions five rising powers, the Five Kings in the title, of Russia, China, Turkey, Iran and Sunni radical Islam as challenging the American empire, increasingly the detached leader of the West. The West, of which America is and was the champion, is quickly becoming an empire of nothing, of” nihilism squared and a cavalcade of kitsch”

The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815_1914) (2016)
In essence it is a discussion of how Europe came to terms with the political earthquakes brought about by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars and the industrial revolution. In 1815 the so called Concert of Europe is brought into being by Metternich as a conservative reaction to the French Revolution. That framework largely keeps the peace until 1848.

To Hell and Back: Europe 1914_1949) (2015)
In adfition to being beautifully written, this book makes sense out of the competing geopolitical factors contributing to both WW I and WW II. Kershaw makes a compelling case that the Russian revolution was the single most important event of the first half of the 20th century. His logic is flawless.

The Clash of Civilization and the Remaking of World Order(1996)
The central themes of the book are that culture and cultural identities (what he calls “civilization identities”) shape the patterns of cohesion, disintegration, and conflict in the post-Cold War world; that clashes between these are the greatest threat to world peace; and that an international order based on civilizations is the surest safeguard against world war.

Evolution and Conversion - Dialogues on the Origins of Culture (2008)
A few nuances and modifications to his precious works, showing the incredible alertness and openness of his mind, as well as the flexibility of the theory itself. But the most interesting is the mimetic and victimary perspective on the newest economic, political and political developments of our world since 2001, and their grounding into the consequences of the judeochristian revelation.