INTERESTING, BUT NOT REQUIRED READING ...

- China & globalization. For those of you with an interest on China and globalization, I warmly recommend the work of Thomas P.M. Barnett. Although he is a bit of a maverick, his views are always challenging and interesting. His latest book, which deals extensively with China, is Great Powers. America and the World After Bush (New York: Penguin, 2009) [details]. Dr. Barnett is an indefatigable blogger.

- Greece & moral hazard. The Wall Street Journal's editorial page takes the view that the imminent aid package to Greece will only exacerbate moral hazard (see "Europe's Bear Stearns"). Note the sharp contrast with the New York Times, who is calling for "a much bigger bailout package" ("Greece and Who’s Next?"). Realism vs. liberalism, anyone?

- Two interesting book reviews. (1) Do we need to check the power of deregulated finance? The New York Times's Louis Uchitelle reviews Simon Johnson and James Kwak. 13 Bankers. The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown (New York: Pantheon Books, 2010); (2) China and the developing world. The Financial Times's Gideon Rachman reviews Stefan Halper. The Beijing Consensus: How China's Authoritarian Model will Dominate the Twenty-First Century (New York: Basic Books, 2010) [see].
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