I did not rate this book higher for two reasons. One, a lot of what Soros writes about is stuff I have read elsewhere. It is not that he is a bad writer. It simply is a matter that I have seen a lot of the material in other places already. The first part of the book is a summary basically of the mistakes and deception of the Bush administration and its neocon cronies. Much of this is already known to anyone who is well informed. Second, the book has dated a bit. Soros wrote in to coincide with the 2004 election, and we all know how that turned for the worse. Having said that, I think the value of the book lies in the second part where he lays out some solutions and examples of ways to change the way things are. Much of the bottom line is that the U.S. has to learn to abide by the rules everyone else follows and to take its leadership role seriously and responsibly instead of acting like a backyard bully. The book was a quick read for me, but it was because I could scan a lot of it. A pity that those who should be reading it are not reading it. More people should be reading books like this.
