This is a weekly thread in which we read through books on and related to imperialism and geopolitics. Last week’s thread is here.
The book we are currently reading through is Empire’s Workshop by Greg Grandin. There are two main editions, to my knowledge: the original one with a yellow cover from 2006, and an updated version from 2021 with an orange cover. I am reading the latter version.
Please comment or message me directly if you wish to be pinged for this group, or if you no longer wish to be pinged.
This week, we will be reading Chapter 4.
Next week, we will be reading Chapter 5.
This chapter underlined for me something that I first started thinking while reading the jakarta method: Do not under any circumstances try to effect positive incremental change from the inside of the imperial government.
At best your efforts will be wasted, but in many cases, you will actually strengthen the imperial machine in unpredictable ways, and enable it to commit even greater atrocities, as happens with the FDR admin’s reformers here, and the more sympathetic ambassador in Indonesia in the jakarta method.