Connected
by Daniel Altman
Pan, HK$128
On this day three years ago, Daniel Altman trawled through newspapers to select and scrutinise trade deals, political events, crimes and crises that would show how everything is connected in the world economy. The images he forms of 14 countries demonstrate the workings of globalisation, a subject about which the author adopts a neutral stance: he identifies with neither the 'jingoistic pronouncements' of laissez-faire believers nor the screams of trade-summit protesters. The conceit and the breadth of subject matters are impressive, as is the execution (each chapter begins with the local time at which the deals or other events are taking place, then goes back and forth to flesh out the essays). On June 15, 2005, the price of oil rose to more than US$49 a barrel from about US$33 a barrel a year earlier. Altman, an International Herald Tribune columnist, uses this hook to discuss how the commodity is traded and its price volatility. Other subjects tackled include the Ericsson Napster online service deal, in which the author asks, 'When does working together really work?' and the bid by China's Haier for Maytag. A book for lay readers, it shows global links but unfortunately fails to excite the imagination.
