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Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments
From the long-time head of Human Rights Watch, the fascinating and inspiring story of taking on the biggest villains and toughest autocrats around the world.In three decades under the leadership of Kenneth Roth, Human Rights Watch grew to a staff of more than 500, conducting investigations in 100 countries to uncover abuses—and pressuring offending governments to stop them. Roth has grappled with the worst of humanity, taken on the biggest villains of our time, and persuaded leaders from around the globe to stand up to their repressive counterparts. The son of a Jew who fled Nazi Germany just before the war began, Roth grew up knowing full well how inhumane governments could be. He has traveled the world to meet cruelty and injustice on its home he arrived in Rwanda shortly after the Genocide; scrutinized the impact of Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait; investigated and condemned Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinians. He directed efforts to curtail the Chinese government’s persecution of Uyghur Muslims, to bring Myanmar’s officials to justice after the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, to halt Russian war crimes in Ukraine, even to reign in the U.S. government. Roth’s many innovations and strategies included the deployment of a concept as old as mankind—the powerful tool of “shaming”—and here he illustrates its surprising effectiveness against evildoers. This is a story of wins, losses, and ongoing battles in the ceaseless fight to rend the moral arc from the hands of injustice and bend it toward good.
448 pages, Hardcover
Published February 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 24, 2025
I read this book after attending a book event with the author at Politics and Prose in DC. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing him talk. The purpose of the book, from my understanding, is to teach and empower other human rights defenders. To that end, I think if you work at a large human rights organization, this could be quite helpful because of the tactics that Human Rights Watch employs. I read this book, however, because I was interested in the tea behind the scenes. I work in international relations. This is my bread and butter. For what I wanted out of the book, I could do without the chapters on the ICC, the HRW leadership chapters, etc. I wish there was more focus on the large human rights abusing countries and the tactics used to pursued them and less on the international mechanisms. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book, the stories, and the characters included.
March 5, 2025
Nice compendium spanning across three decades of defence for human rights. While it is meant as a memoire, it is more an historical personal account on strategies and lessons learned from investigating human rights violations and advocacy for their protection. Each chapter focuses on a country or institution. I found it interesting and inspiring . Thought not sure it someone outside the field would find it engaging and stick until the end.
September 7, 2025
I deeply admire and feel inspired by people like Kenneth Roth, who courageously stand up to the powerful and give voice to those who desperately need to be heard. This book isn’t just the story of Roth’s journey at HRW and his fight for human rights. It’s also a call to action, a reminder that the struggle for dignity and justice never really ends.
I came away with a much better understanding of what happens behind the scenes, both diplomatically and within international organizations, when it comes to stopping and prosecuting some of history’s worst war crimes and abuses. Sadly, these crimes still happen today. While many perpetrators continue to escape justice, others have been held accountable. Their punishment serves as both a deterrent and a reminder that no crime can stay beyond the reach of justice forever.
That’s why the work of HRW and similar organizations is so important. Their tireless efforts not only give us hope, they also remind us of our responsibility: to learn, to teach, to support, and, above all, to never stay silent in the face of injustice.
I came away with a much better understanding of what happens behind the scenes, both diplomatically and within international organizations, when it comes to stopping and prosecuting some of history’s worst war crimes and abuses. Sadly, these crimes still happen today. While many perpetrators continue to escape justice, others have been held accountable. Their punishment serves as both a deterrent and a reminder that no crime can stay beyond the reach of justice forever.
That’s why the work of HRW and similar organizations is so important. Their tireless efforts not only give us hope, they also remind us of our responsibility: to learn, to teach, to support, and, above all, to never stay silent in the face of injustice.
September 13, 2025
I was gifted this book by my wonderful sister-in-law as I was heading back "in the field." As someone who works in international human rights law and has worked in a few of the hotspots covered in the book (Kosovo, Bosnia, now with the Rohingya in Bangladesh) I was deeply interested in getting the view of Ken Roth on the work of HRW that has had such an impact on my profession. Roth doesn't pack a lot of flourish in this writing which is fine for the subject matter (no need to overly editorialize many of the situations or figures). The work of HRW (which he helped build to its current status) is undeniable and, I think, some of the best nuggets focused on the many authoritarian, political, legal, etc. machinations that went in to blocking HRW, and their hits and misses in tumbling blockades and/or finding work-arounds. I do wish there was a bit more on the insider maneuvers at times, but still enjoyed what I got. This book will interest all in the filed and many who have interest in foreign-affairs, conflict, politics, etc.
October 16, 2025
*Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments* by Kenneth Roth unfolds as both memoir and manifesto, a layered meditation on power, morality, and the relentless pursuit of justice in the face of entrenched state violence.
Roth’s narrative situates the reader directly in the fraught spaces of human rights advocacy, from conflict zones scarred by repression to diplomatic corridors where principle collides with pragmatism. The book operates simultaneously on multiple levels: as a firsthand witness account, institutional critique, and reflective analysis, producing a postmodern texture in which the boundary between observer, participant, and interpreter is deliberately porous.
The text moves fluidly between specific episodes of advocacy—investigating mass atrocities, documenting war crimes, and confronting authoritarian regimes—and broader reflections on the evolution of human rights as both a legal framework and moral aspiration. Roth’s recounting of campaigns in regions as diverse as Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa highlights the interplay between localised realities and global mechanisms of accountability.
Geographic and political contexts are treated with ethnographic specificity: urban landscapes, border zones, and courtrooms become active sites of negotiation, concealment, and confrontation, shaping both the possibilities and limits of advocacy.
Roth’s prose is at once rigorous and narratively compelling. Case studies, field reports, and investigative research are interwoven with personal reflection, producing a rhythm that mirrors the tension, urgency, and moral ambiguity of human rights work.
The reader experiences the stakes of advocacy not abstractly but through the immediacy of field investigations, witness interviews, and high-stakes diplomacy. Layers of narrative, evidence, and moral reasoning intersect, generating a texture that reflects the complexity of confronting entrenched abuses while maintaining institutional credibility and ethical clarity.
A central theme of the book is the negotiation between principle and pragmatism. Roth confronts the paradoxes of advocacy: the need to pressure governments while preserving access, to expose wrongdoing without endangering victims, and to pursue justice in contexts where legal and political systems are compromised.
These tensions are rendered not as mere obstacles but as defining features of ethical engagement, producing a nuanced meditation on power, responsibility, and strategic action. The narrative demonstrates that moral clarity in the abstract is insufficient; effectiveness requires adaptation, negotiation, and the constant calibration of means and ends.
The text also engages with the psychology of authority, resistance, and compliance. Roth’s encounters with abusive regimes reveal patterns of denial, rationalisation, and bureaucratic obfuscation, highlighting the human and institutional dimensions of state violence.
At the same time, the book illuminates the resilience of advocacy networks, the courage of whistleblowers, and the imaginative strategies employed to circumvent censorship, intimidation, and obstruction. These dualities—power and vulnerability, oppression and resistance—produce a postmodern tension in which the narratives of history, law, and morality are in constant dialogue, contested, and reframed.
Stylistically, the memoir blends investigative precision with reflective cadence. Detailed accounts of field operations, documentation processes, and organisational strategies are interspersed with philosophical musings on justice, responsibility, and historical memory. Roth emphasises the interpretive work required to transform evidence into action: the construction of credible reports, the verification of testimonies, and the ethical framing of narratives.
This layered approach foregrounds the act of narration itself as a form of engagement in which the storyteller negotiates between empirical record and moral imagination.
The book also explores the broader cultural and historical significance of human rights advocacy. Roth situates individual campaigns within evolving international norms, the rise of global accountability mechanisms, and shifting political landscapes.
By weaving personal narrative with structural analysis, the text produces a multi-dimensional understanding of advocacy as both practice and discourse, highlighting the performative and interpretive dimensions of documenting and contesting wrongdoing. The tension between micro-level engagement and macro-level analysis mirrors the broader challenge of translating principle into effective action.
Ultimately, *Righting Wrongs* is a meditation on the persistence of injustice and the ongoing human endeavour to confront it. Roth constructs a narrative in which evidence, moral reasoning, and personal experience are inseparable, producing a text that is immersive, reflective, and intellectually challenging.
The reader is invited to inhabit the spaces of ambiguity, risk, and ethical negotiation, experiencing both the exhilaration and the frustration of confronting entrenched abuse. The book underscores the provisional and contested nature of progress, emphasising that the pursuit of justice is not linear but layered, contingent, and deeply human.
Roth’s work lingers because it refuses simplistic resolution. The text foregrounds the ethical and operational dilemmas inherent in advocacy, situating the reader in the interstices of power, morality, and historical contingency.
By blending memoir, investigative reportage, and reflective analysis, *Righting Wrongs* produces a reading experience that is at once informative, immersive, and postmodern, illuminating the tension between historical documentation, narrative construction, and moral engagement.
It is a work that engages the intellect and conscience, leaving the reader attuned to the persistent complexity of confronting abuse, chronicling injustice, and pursuing justice in an imperfect world.
Roth’s narrative situates the reader directly in the fraught spaces of human rights advocacy, from conflict zones scarred by repression to diplomatic corridors where principle collides with pragmatism. The book operates simultaneously on multiple levels: as a firsthand witness account, institutional critique, and reflective analysis, producing a postmodern texture in which the boundary between observer, participant, and interpreter is deliberately porous.
The text moves fluidly between specific episodes of advocacy—investigating mass atrocities, documenting war crimes, and confronting authoritarian regimes—and broader reflections on the evolution of human rights as both a legal framework and moral aspiration. Roth’s recounting of campaigns in regions as diverse as Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa highlights the interplay between localised realities and global mechanisms of accountability.
Geographic and political contexts are treated with ethnographic specificity: urban landscapes, border zones, and courtrooms become active sites of negotiation, concealment, and confrontation, shaping both the possibilities and limits of advocacy.
Roth’s prose is at once rigorous and narratively compelling. Case studies, field reports, and investigative research are interwoven with personal reflection, producing a rhythm that mirrors the tension, urgency, and moral ambiguity of human rights work.
The reader experiences the stakes of advocacy not abstractly but through the immediacy of field investigations, witness interviews, and high-stakes diplomacy. Layers of narrative, evidence, and moral reasoning intersect, generating a texture that reflects the complexity of confronting entrenched abuses while maintaining institutional credibility and ethical clarity.
A central theme of the book is the negotiation between principle and pragmatism. Roth confronts the paradoxes of advocacy: the need to pressure governments while preserving access, to expose wrongdoing without endangering victims, and to pursue justice in contexts where legal and political systems are compromised.
These tensions are rendered not as mere obstacles but as defining features of ethical engagement, producing a nuanced meditation on power, responsibility, and strategic action. The narrative demonstrates that moral clarity in the abstract is insufficient; effectiveness requires adaptation, negotiation, and the constant calibration of means and ends.
The text also engages with the psychology of authority, resistance, and compliance. Roth’s encounters with abusive regimes reveal patterns of denial, rationalisation, and bureaucratic obfuscation, highlighting the human and institutional dimensions of state violence.
At the same time, the book illuminates the resilience of advocacy networks, the courage of whistleblowers, and the imaginative strategies employed to circumvent censorship, intimidation, and obstruction. These dualities—power and vulnerability, oppression and resistance—produce a postmodern tension in which the narratives of history, law, and morality are in constant dialogue, contested, and reframed.
Stylistically, the memoir blends investigative precision with reflective cadence. Detailed accounts of field operations, documentation processes, and organisational strategies are interspersed with philosophical musings on justice, responsibility, and historical memory. Roth emphasises the interpretive work required to transform evidence into action: the construction of credible reports, the verification of testimonies, and the ethical framing of narratives.
This layered approach foregrounds the act of narration itself as a form of engagement in which the storyteller negotiates between empirical record and moral imagination.
The book also explores the broader cultural and historical significance of human rights advocacy. Roth situates individual campaigns within evolving international norms, the rise of global accountability mechanisms, and shifting political landscapes.
By weaving personal narrative with structural analysis, the text produces a multi-dimensional understanding of advocacy as both practice and discourse, highlighting the performative and interpretive dimensions of documenting and contesting wrongdoing. The tension between micro-level engagement and macro-level analysis mirrors the broader challenge of translating principle into effective action.
Ultimately, *Righting Wrongs* is a meditation on the persistence of injustice and the ongoing human endeavour to confront it. Roth constructs a narrative in which evidence, moral reasoning, and personal experience are inseparable, producing a text that is immersive, reflective, and intellectually challenging.
The reader is invited to inhabit the spaces of ambiguity, risk, and ethical negotiation, experiencing both the exhilaration and the frustration of confronting entrenched abuse. The book underscores the provisional and contested nature of progress, emphasising that the pursuit of justice is not linear but layered, contingent, and deeply human.
Roth’s work lingers because it refuses simplistic resolution. The text foregrounds the ethical and operational dilemmas inherent in advocacy, situating the reader in the interstices of power, morality, and historical contingency.
By blending memoir, investigative reportage, and reflective analysis, *Righting Wrongs* produces a reading experience that is at once informative, immersive, and postmodern, illuminating the tension between historical documentation, narrative construction, and moral engagement.
It is a work that engages the intellect and conscience, leaving the reader attuned to the persistent complexity of confronting abuse, chronicling injustice, and pursuing justice in an imperfect world.
April 28, 2025
Having received a signed copy of the book from Ken Roth himself at a Human Rights Watch event, I started reading it right away. What an inspiring life story!
Kenneth Roth served as CEO of HRW for nearly 30 years, leading efforts to combat human rights abuses around the world. While one can often feel powerless in the face of atrocities committed by authoritarian regimes, Roth highlights how dictators are driven by their own motivations and constraints — and how public shaming can be a surprisingly effective tool to curb their actions. A cornerstone of HRW’s work is its commitment to extremely rigorous research, sticking to indisputable facts, and maintaining a reputation for unbiased excellence.
The author shares firsthand insights into actions taken against abuses by Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Rwanda. There is also an especially thoughtful chapter on Israel. Criticizing Israel’s human rights violations — such as settlement expansions in the West Bank and civilian casualties in Gaza — has proven difficult, given the intense political pressure from the United States and the risk of being labeled anti-Semitic. Roth argues convincingly that while Israel has every right to defend itself, it must also adhere to human rights principles. Violating these rights — even in the name of democracy or counterterrorism — is not only unjust but shortsighted, as seen in the long-term consequences of the Iraq War following 9/11.
Roth also discusses Hungary and Poland, where authoritarian-leaning parties have recently risen to power. The playbook is alarmingly familiar: identify a common enemy (such as immigrants), attack and control the media, undermine the judiciary and universities — all in an effort to consolidate power and maintain the appearance of democracy while eroding its substance. Alarmingly, we can see obvious parallels in the United States under Donald Trump.
In this particular moment in the U.S., it is reassuring to know that individuals and organizations exist with the experience, resilience, and determination to resist human rights abuses and push back against the most dangerous goals of dictators and authoritarians around the world.
Kenneth Roth served as CEO of HRW for nearly 30 years, leading efforts to combat human rights abuses around the world. While one can often feel powerless in the face of atrocities committed by authoritarian regimes, Roth highlights how dictators are driven by their own motivations and constraints — and how public shaming can be a surprisingly effective tool to curb their actions. A cornerstone of HRW’s work is its commitment to extremely rigorous research, sticking to indisputable facts, and maintaining a reputation for unbiased excellence.
The author shares firsthand insights into actions taken against abuses by Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Rwanda. There is also an especially thoughtful chapter on Israel. Criticizing Israel’s human rights violations — such as settlement expansions in the West Bank and civilian casualties in Gaza — has proven difficult, given the intense political pressure from the United States and the risk of being labeled anti-Semitic. Roth argues convincingly that while Israel has every right to defend itself, it must also adhere to human rights principles. Violating these rights — even in the name of democracy or counterterrorism — is not only unjust but shortsighted, as seen in the long-term consequences of the Iraq War following 9/11.
Roth also discusses Hungary and Poland, where authoritarian-leaning parties have recently risen to power. The playbook is alarmingly familiar: identify a common enemy (such as immigrants), attack and control the media, undermine the judiciary and universities — all in an effort to consolidate power and maintain the appearance of democracy while eroding its substance. Alarmingly, we can see obvious parallels in the United States under Donald Trump.
In this particular moment in the U.S., it is reassuring to know that individuals and organizations exist with the experience, resilience, and determination to resist human rights abuses and push back against the most dangerous goals of dictators and authoritarians around the world.
July 14, 2025
I couldn’t get myself to stick to the whole book. I found the author’s journey to work on rights interesting, and it was useful to hear his general approach to making rights violations as uncomfortable and untenable as possible for the perpetrators, which is effectively all that can be done. But the excessive details on the discussions and at times somewhat murky attribution was a bit much to read for an entire novel.
Nevertheless, I did read the full US-oriented chapter, which I found much more interesting. No doubt because it hits closest to home. It was interesting to learn about the reasons behind the US’ general hesitancy to sign international human rights charters, and the means they take to make them unenforceable, against the backdrop of serving as a leading nation for the advocacy of those same charters and rights. The challenges post-9/11 in balancing the need to respond to peoples’ fears and respecting rights was spot on.
And I appreciated Roth’s perspectives on our current movement towards autocracy. He is correct in fighting against nationalistic insular identities, othering minority groups as reasons for societal ills, etc. He is equally correct in warning against the left’s identity politics of focusing on protecting the rights of certain marginalized groups, however important that is, as opposed to building a broader community and ensuring rights for all.
Nevertheless, I did read the full US-oriented chapter, which I found much more interesting. No doubt because it hits closest to home. It was interesting to learn about the reasons behind the US’ general hesitancy to sign international human rights charters, and the means they take to make them unenforceable, against the backdrop of serving as a leading nation for the advocacy of those same charters and rights. The challenges post-9/11 in balancing the need to respond to peoples’ fears and respecting rights was spot on.
And I appreciated Roth’s perspectives on our current movement towards autocracy. He is correct in fighting against nationalistic insular identities, othering minority groups as reasons for societal ills, etc. He is equally correct in warning against the left’s identity politics of focusing on protecting the rights of certain marginalized groups, however important that is, as opposed to building a broader community and ensuring rights for all.
July 29, 2025
Probably a 4.25-star overall. The average rating of 4.17 stars as I write says 4.25 would fit right in.
The best chapters? Those are the ones explaining how the U.S. guts global civil rights deals and why, and the material on Israel, and its hasbara activists in the US. Kudos for details on Israel having its feet held to the fire and Roth’s confrontations with then-ADL head Abraham Foxman.
Next best was the material on China, versus non-skeptical leftists and pseudoleftists.
Roth was also good on explaining how HRW considers environmental rights human rights but follows lead of other agencies.
There was an issue or two, though.
First, Syria, and Roth apparently being unwilling to consider alternative journalism voices such as Robert Fisk, or alternative investigative voices, such as OPCW dissidents.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, there was no mention of Ukrainian war crimes, which are far less than Russia’s but not nonexistent.
Because Roth calls out the West enough, this isn’t pro-Western toadyism; rather, it’s to show that the issue of human rights issues in war zones can be even more complex than he paints. That’s what held it short of 4.5 or more.
The writing style is “straightforward”; “dry” or “plodding” are incorrect words, and for people low-rating because of that? Go read pulp fiction.
The best chapters? Those are the ones explaining how the U.S. guts global civil rights deals and why, and the material on Israel, and its hasbara activists in the US. Kudos for details on Israel having its feet held to the fire and Roth’s confrontations with then-ADL head Abraham Foxman.
Next best was the material on China, versus non-skeptical leftists and pseudoleftists.
Roth was also good on explaining how HRW considers environmental rights human rights but follows lead of other agencies.
There was an issue or two, though.
First, Syria, and Roth apparently being unwilling to consider alternative journalism voices such as Robert Fisk, or alternative investigative voices, such as OPCW dissidents.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, there was no mention of Ukrainian war crimes, which are far less than Russia’s but not nonexistent.
Because Roth calls out the West enough, this isn’t pro-Western toadyism; rather, it’s to show that the issue of human rights issues in war zones can be even more complex than he paints. That’s what held it short of 4.5 or more.
The writing style is “straightforward”; “dry” or “plodding” are incorrect words, and for people low-rating because of that? Go read pulp fiction.
August 9, 2025
This is an important book from the former head of the Human Rights Watch. It talks about the fight for Human Rights all over the world [including the United States], and how i's becoming more difficult to do so as each year passes. Each chapter covers a country where Human Rights have been ignored [or exploited], how it was handled [or continues to be handled], and where they are striving to be today [it is not always positive, which, while expected, is also very sad].
I enjoyed this as I learned quite a bit about things I only had a smattering of knowledge about. The writing [and research] was very good and I definitely spent a good amount of this book being enraged at the antics and egos of self-important men and how and why they think their ways are best. However, some of this book WAS a bit above my pay-grade and several times I got lost in the scholarly speak/writing.
Overall, I'd recommend this simply because it is an excellent look at [fairly current] history we all think we know, and ultimately do not [unless, of course, you are a historian or part of the HRW ;-) ]. I am really glad that I read this.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kenneth Roth, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this as I learned quite a bit about things I only had a smattering of knowledge about. The writing [and research] was very good and I definitely spent a good amount of this book being enraged at the antics and egos of self-important men and how and why they think their ways are best. However, some of this book WAS a bit above my pay-grade and several times I got lost in the scholarly speak/writing.
Overall, I'd recommend this simply because it is an excellent look at [fairly current] history we all think we know, and ultimately do not [unless, of course, you are a historian or part of the HRW ;-) ]. I am really glad that I read this.
Thank you to NetGalley, Kenneth Roth, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 6, 2025
A nuanced, urgent, and gripping account of a life spent on the front lines of human rights defense. This is a vivid and admirable portrayal of Roth’s work—marked by profound humility, as he consistently names and elevates the contributions of others to the cause. His strategies to exert pressure are laid out with precision and insight. Far more than a detached memoir, this book is both a guide and a rallying cry, offering compelling insights into the role of human rights strategies —especially shaming — in advancing both global and local justice as deliberate policy, mostly in the absence of collective action.
Righting Wrongs delivers a comprehensive analysis of country-specific case studies and international organizations, enriched by close-up, candid reflections from world leaders and decision-makers. A remarkable work, it stands as a testament to Roth’s unwavering commitment to defending rights, protecting the vulnerable, and fostering a deeply relevant call to empathy and selfless action.
Righting Wrongs delivers a comprehensive analysis of country-specific case studies and international organizations, enriched by close-up, candid reflections from world leaders and decision-makers. A remarkable work, it stands as a testament to Roth’s unwavering commitment to defending rights, protecting the vulnerable, and fostering a deeply relevant call to empathy and selfless action.
October 26, 2025
A precise, concise account of Kenneth Roth's leadership and advocacy for human rights and justice over 30 years, which comes at a time when attacks against our rights and institutions intensify. I attended the launch in Sydney and found Kenneth to speak similarly to how he writes: with profound urgency and clarity. I took my time with this book but found it comforting as someone who has worked in advocacy spaces for a while.
March 30, 2025
Minuteman. Skimmed. Puts the US, which has a chapter along with many other countries, in context, its own abuses as great as others, especially the prison system, with higher numbers and worse conditions and greater overrepresentation of BIPOC than most.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2025
This is an important book and the author has done some important work. I just got a bit bored with all the countries and names of folks I really didn't know. The "3" is more of a reflection of me than of the book.
June 16, 2025
DNF- this could have been good - the subject matter was engaging, but the writing was dull and plodding. There seemed to be an element of the author’s need to record his own presence and achievements, which became tedious.
July 10, 2025
Unbelievable all that this man has done to try and help people! I never would have thought about what goes into his job!!
September 28, 2025
interesting but got repetitive.
October 27, 2025
To be honest, it was difficult for me to finish this book. I hated the first few chapters: a lot of self congratulation (the author is the best father, the best boss, knows best on human rights-related topics) and western condescension.
I found the conclusion of the chapter on China laughable, as the point it is trying to make is that democracies are clearly superior to China in any aspect. For example, it says: “The “zero-COVID” lockdowns seemed to have awakened the Chinese middle class to the nature of the Communist Party.” Maybe Mr Roth does not recall that the longest lockdowns in the world occurred in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney) and that Australia (a democracy) banned the entry of its own citizens into the country at the height of the epidemic, leaving thousands stranded in India with death spreading around them. When the president of the United States advised his citizens to drink bleach to cure them from COVID, I don’t think the Chinese really envied Western democracies.
After that rocky start, I was glad I hung on, as the rest of the book was more interesting to me. It enabled me to recall the facts in Syria, Rwanda … It gives this small glimpse of hope: even if a situation seems lost and the political powers in place seem unmovable, there is always a little something that can de done, and this little something can make a difference.
I found the conclusion of the chapter on China laughable, as the point it is trying to make is that democracies are clearly superior to China in any aspect. For example, it says: “The “zero-COVID” lockdowns seemed to have awakened the Chinese middle class to the nature of the Communist Party.” Maybe Mr Roth does not recall that the longest lockdowns in the world occurred in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney) and that Australia (a democracy) banned the entry of its own citizens into the country at the height of the epidemic, leaving thousands stranded in India with death spreading around them. When the president of the United States advised his citizens to drink bleach to cure them from COVID, I don’t think the Chinese really envied Western democracies.
After that rocky start, I was glad I hung on, as the rest of the book was more interesting to me. It enabled me to recall the facts in Syria, Rwanda … It gives this small glimpse of hope: even if a situation seems lost and the political powers in place seem unmovable, there is always a little something that can de done, and this little something can make a difference.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews