As the 20th century draws to a close, the Asia-Pacific region is establishing itself as a leading economic powerhouse. Half a millennium ago, the world's economic centre shifted from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Today, it has moved again; this time to the Asia-Pacific region. Asia Pacific: Its Role in the New World Disorder provides a contemporary insight into a much misunderstood region. The Asia-Pacific region, according to M.S. Dobbs-Higginson, includes China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, India, Brunei, Indochina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, and excludes Canada, the United States, Mexico and Latin America. With the passing of the Cold War and of the superpower rivalry since World War II, we are now grappling with "a completely new set of operating conditions that most people haven't really begun to comprehend the ramifications, either in political or, more importantly, in economic terms." The circumstances facing the region in the 1990s and beyond will be different from those encountered in the past. The region must therefore respond and adapt to changing circumstances by embracing new and innovative measures. Basing his views on the history, culture and politics, rather than on the economics, of the countries in the region, Dobbs-Higginson colours them with his Buddhist philosophy of balance. He sees the world "in terms of whether or not it is balance .... Everything one does, or the world does, affects and is also affected by whether the world, and oneself within it, is in a state of balance or not. Unless one understands oneself within oneself, oneself within the world, and then the world around one, how can one possibly achieve this balance in order to live (and work) effectively? Without proper balance, considerable energy needs to be used either to compensate for such imbalance or to attempt to achieve such balance .... with proper balance, considerable energy is freed up and can be used productively for achieving other, more rewarding, internal and external goals of both a spiritual and worldly nature." Dobbs-Higginson provides an historical overview of each country's business culture. He intertwines anecdotal asides with bold analyses of the political and social developments over the recent years, and outlining each country's strengths and weaknesses. Besides developing a detailed argument on how and why the countries of the region should come together to create a regional forum, he alludes to the reasons each country would benefit from supporting such a forum and the consequences of not doing so. He believes that Southeast Asian countries, especially Asean countries, will play a catalytic role in uniting the region in the future. With the end of communism and the fading away of opposing ideologies, and increased communication amongst countries within the region, opportunities for co-operation have become wider. Dobbs-Higginson demonstrates how much each country can benefit by participating in a union with the rest of the region. The best way for Asia to present a common voice and be heard in the world on matters related to trade, security and human-rights issues is to construct a structure similar to that of the European Union. "Trade liberalisation, essential though it is, is not enough in itself ... There must be some other political dynamics as well. There should be fundamental cooperation in regional security, but also in many other fields. Asia Pacific needs permanent institutions to guarantee the future: a rotating presidency, perhaps some form of parliament, a council of ministers, a secretariat, and a structure for dealing with legal disputes." These structures could emanate from ASEAN, which he believes is the region's most mature political organisation. Dobbs-Higginson reiterates that Asia could forge this integration because of two distinct reasons: growing economic linkages, especially intra-regional trade, and common cultural heritage. Though Asia is divided by language, religion, culture, belief and past animosity, it is nevertheless united by common historical experiences and shared values and social institutions. Such differences may not be as profound, but they nevertheless exist. Differences should be grounds for unity more than divisiveness: "... the countries in this area are too diverse, too hostile to one another, and too geographically separated ever to come together as a coherent regional force. However, it is not often recognised that far from being divided, the region's peoples have benefited from a gradual blending of ethnic groups over the last two millenniums .... Despite their variety, the religions and other philosophical beliefs of Asia Pacific share the same ideas of kinship, discipline, tolerance, and death .... Although there still remain significant barriers of understanding and there are many different national objectives, far less now divides Asia Pacific than ever before." He identifies these changes and suggests how remaining barriers are eroding in such a way that some of these national objectives have or will become common ones soon. Dobbs-Higginson does not fall short when it comes to argumentation and recommendations; not only does he raise crucial questions, he also thinks them through thoroughly. A more contemporary analysis of the Asia-Pacific region couldn't have come at a better time than now, when economic prowess, not military might, are the determinants of national strength.

A very readable book; made some excellent points. One thing Dobbs ignores completely, though, was the actual breaking down of the Berlin Wall by people wielding hammers and other instruments. The Wall had already been opened, yes, but the sight of people demolishing it, flashed around the world on TV, was of immense symbolic significance and it accordingly accelerated the downfall of Communism. Also, here's some food for thought: Andropov wasn't picked to lead the USSR as a "caretaker"; his death was untimely. Everyone had expected him to live for decades. Likewise, John Paul I died an untimely death after only two weeks as Pope. How might the history Dobbs describes have unfolded differently with Andropov in the Kremlin and an Italian Pope in the Vatican throughout the 1980's? Without John Paul II's protective influence, could Solidarity have survived to lead Poland into the 1990s? Maybe not....

This is a terrific book. It makes history come alive through the people, big and small, who caused Communism to collapse from within the Spviet Union. It is easy to feel you are there as the pages replay the key events during the 80's and early 90's. I was most impressed by the author's ability to craft this epic into a gripping, moving story. Well done!!

This is a compelling and vivid description of the events that led to the toatal disintegration of the Soviet Empire, from the collapse of its East European satellite states to the impolosion of the USSR itself. Dobbs was an eyewitness to many events described in the book, and he writes accurately and convincingly. The beginning of the end of the Soviet Empire is traced to the final years of Brezhnev's rule, with its stagnation, over the hill, senile politicians, and the tragic decision to invade Afghanistan.

Because this is a very rich journalistic account, the reder should be prepared to deal with a myriad of Eastern European proper names that occur throughout the book. Still, this is a very sophisticated, historically-informed journalism, and if you want to know about the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

This book is drier than the wonderful BBC series starring Ian Richardson. But because Michael Dobbs spent years as a journalist covering British politics, plot points that are simplified or glossed over in the series are explained in more detail. So I feel like I understand what went on in the TV series more, but it's not as much fun. The book went through some significant changes on the way to the teleplay adaptation.

This is the first in a trilogy that is, perhaps, the best of modern political fiction. The reader can't help but be riveted by the lead character, even hoping for his sinister plots to succeed. Even having seen the BBC television version, I loved the book. It's a great read.

This book is the best one in the collection

This book is a model of biographic research. Dobbs tracks Albright's family 4 generations back across Europe and through WWII.

I greatly enjoyed learning more about Albright's personal rise to the top, which was inspirational to me as a woman.

But due to Albright's lack of cooperation with Dobbs in the project, it didn't have a lot of detail from her personally. It was almost all from friends, enemies? and others.

The facts around Dobbs writing this book bother me. It started with him digging up the fact that she was Jewish (Haven't we progressed beyond caring whether someone is Jewish?) After Dobbs discovered this fact and it broke in the news, he decided to write a book. He describes a tense meeting with Madeline in which she is not at all pleased with his intrusive findings.

This detail bothered me as I read the book. Is Doobs impartial? Was he possibly angry that she basically shunned his project? It undermined my faith in his opinions slightly.

If you want to learn more about Madeline and don't mind that the first part is pre WWII, you'll enjoy this book. But I think Dobbs could have gone about it in a better way. I would have enjoyed hearing what Madeline really had to say about everything.

Grab a tissue and get ready for the first chapters of this wonderful book. Dobbs succeeds not only in conveying the confusion and pathos of Albright's early life, but also in giving readers a vivid, heart-rending view of one family's devastation as it confronted the Third Reich. The Korbel's (Madeleine's parents) narrowly escape death, rebuilding their life in America. The story of Madeleine's assimilation as an American and her marriage into one of the country's most powerful media families is nearly as riveting as her rise to professional power in Washington, D.C. Dobbs knows how to get the inside facts, tell a great story and give enough analysis to be insightful but not overbearing. The parts which deal with the revelation of Albright's Jewish heritage, and Dobbs' confrontation with Albright about her history, are fascinating. The additional intrigues around possible stolen art work turn parts of this great biography into a good mystery as well. Thank you to Michael Dobbs for being bold and fair in revealing the inside story of one of the most amazing women of our time.

Madeleine Albright: A Twentieth Century Odyssey was a joy to read. It was well-written, in precise, easyily read prose. The research job was obviously fantastic, as Dobbs uncovered facts that even Madeleine was at least at one time unaware of. This history of Madeleine Albright's life is detailed and amazing. She is truly a person to be admired. Her history is laced unremovably with the history of the countries she lived in. Her native Czeckoslovkia underwent Hitler, the rise and fall of Communism, and later the dis-integration of the country into the Czeck Republic and Slovakia. Her political views were shaped by Munich and the appeasement, by the consequences of inaction rather than by the consequences of action, such as the Vietnam War, the one event which primarily shaped the foriegn-policy views of her colleagues. Her father delivered her and her immediate family from Hitler, as they were Jewish. Much of the rest of her family perished in the death camps. The Albrights moved to the United States and converted to Catholicism as a protective measure. Madeleine was drived by an incredible urge to assimilate, to please, and to succeed. Sometimes, these instincts came into conflict with one another. Dr. Albright is an amazing woman. I have seen her speak at a college in my area about terrorism and about the effects of September 11, and the myth of a bipolar world. She talked about women's rights and about the Balkans War. She said that "a country that lives only for itself is like a person that lives only fo himself." This defines her foreign policy image. I highly recommend this book, both for its research and for its subject matter.

I picked up this book during a recent trip to London, after seeing the adverts promoting the book in the London Underground. I read the British version, entitled 'Whispers of Betrayal' but I assume that this is the re-titled American version of the same book.

The book is about the consequences of political actions and involves a disgruntled military man that disrupts life in London, through causing traffic congestion and taunting the Prime Minister, to make his point

This was my first introduction to Tom Goodfellow, the books protagonist, but I was impressed with the character and may read some of the earlier books in the series now that I've completed this one. The book provides an interesting look at the British political system and how it runs but wasn't as fast paced as some of the American books that I've read in the same genre (i.e. Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware books). I'd give the book big points for how seriously it takes it's characters and how it doesn't take the simplistic black and white moral position that American books of this type seem to take.

If you're looking for a political thriller about England that respects your intelligence, and teachs you a little bit about the British system of government, I'd recommend this book to you.

The third and best installment of the trilogy. The writing is a little laboured, by the plot rattles along. The plot line and developmetn is a lot tighter than the previous two books. The despicable PM is finally seen as the creature of his own making - manipulative, irredeemable, and subject to his own success. Overall, a good, light read into fictional British politics, that doesn't tax the readers intellect or political knoweldge too heavily,

Michael Dobbs does not paint a pretty picture of British politics in this thrilling if somewhat predictable politcal thriller. Intrigue, deception, lies and skullduggery are what Tom Goodfellowe, our honorable hero (and seemingly the only politician with a scrap of integrity), must deal with in his fight to expose the truth behind the passage through the House of Commons of an apparently innocuous bill.
Throw in a rebellious daughter, an unscrupulous newspaper owner, a beautiful Russian hostess (Molly o' Malley from Co. Carlow, Ireland, no less), a backstabbing political ally, and many more well contrived characters, and you get quite a page turner. I was hoping for more insight into life at Westminster and as for the happy ending - it could not have been better scripted by Frank Capra.
Mention of Capra reminds me of the similarities in this book to the Hollywood classic "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" where again we have our hero fighting the establishment. It's the first book i've read by Dobbs and i'd best recommend it as an alternative to John Grisham for those long journeys.