What Next?

by Chris Patten

xii 490p hardback, black cloth with beige cover, very good condition, light wear and sticker to jacket, binding intact, pages clear and bright, a good pre-owned copy with the author's signature on the title page

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Economics

491 pages, Hardcover

First published October 2, 2008

About the author

Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH

Graduate of Balliol College, University Oxford (1965).

Among his services, appointments, and honors, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bath (1979-1992), Minister for Overseas Development at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1986-1989), Secretary of State for the Environment (1989-1992), Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1990-1992), Chairman of the Conservative Party (1990-1992), the last Governor of Hong Kong (1992-1997), appointed a Companion of Honour (CH) by Queen Elizabeth II (1998), Chairman of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland (1998-1999), Chancellor of Newcastle University (1999-2009), 1999, appointed as one of the UK's two members to the European Commission (1999) and served as Commissioner for External Relations, appointed the European Union's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2000-2004), received an honorary LL.D. degree from the University of Bath (2003), Chancellor of the University of Oxford (2003- ), elected a Distinguished Honorary Fellow of Massey College, University of Toronto (2005), received an honorary D.S.Litt. degree from the University of Trinity College, University of Toronto (2005), Toronto, an honorary D.Litt. degree from the University of Ulster (2005), and in 2005 he was also honored with a life peerage as Baron Patten of Barnes, of Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, as a Roman Catholic he played a vital role overseeing the visit of Pope Benedict XVI's to the UK (2010), and served as Chairman of the BBC Trust (2011-2014).

Reviews

[Gilles Demaneuf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rather prophetic. A good read.

[Alice Chau-Ginguene · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a citizen of a former colony under his governance, Chris Patten has always been my hero. His book doesn't disappointed. I don't agree with all his political point of view and his high praise to free market, but he has very interesting point draw from his vast experience working international relations under various capacity. I respect his views even the ones I don't agree.
Particularly enjoy the short stories he shared about the countries he has visited while explaining his various point. From all the little stories he shared I can tell he is a good story teller. I am looking forward to his autobiography where he tells his encounter with all different head of states and important political figures around the world! I will be the first to buy such book!

[Steve Woods · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover notes label this book "witty, wise and surprisingly optimistic"; well it is certainly witty and it may be wise in advocating the continuance of nation states in a web of cooperative allegiance to solve the world challenges ranging from nuclear disarmament, globalization, the armaments trade, the development 'industry', organized crime, the drug trade, the increasing scarcity of water, global warming, species annihilation and the control and management of global pandemics; optimistic it is not unless Chris Patten's perspective is the one universally adopted. For my money the omission he makes is the consideration of the eternal perversities of selfishness, stupidity greed and hubris of the human animal particularly as it is expressed in the context of western consumerist values that are now fast becoming the world's religion and implemented by a political class bereft of all honor, integrity, morality or commitment to anything other than the aforesaid perversities. That those who lead us are not up to the task is glaringly self evident in any international forum dealing with any of these issues or any of the spinoffs that derive from them. That incapacity is founded in venality, greed, megalomania and yes, just plain stupidity, but it is there in spades. The results have now thrown up yet another problem for the mediocrity charged with navigating our future in the form of radical Islam. If ever there was a creation of the very witches brew I have just described this is it!

No for me no optimism here, I have all but resigned myself to a continuing litany of failure to front up in any form and the gradual but inevitable demise which if I am lucky I will not live to fully appreciate or if I am unlucky I may be able to watch on CNN from somewhere far removed though ultimately sinking with the rest of them

[Will James]

Chris Patten is a liberal internationalist's liberal internationalist. Clever, urbane, experienced and a fantastic writer, Patten offers perhaps the most knowledgable and articulate defence of multilateralism and the importance of global cooperation to solve the world's most intractable problems. 'What Next?' is a broad yet detailed analysis of those global problems - including the financial crisis, terrorism, proliferationof weapons (both small and atomic), poverty in the 'Global South', pandemic disease, Climate Change and much more. Throughout the book Patten skillfully addresses these problems, before outlining his typical - and somewhat repetitive - solution to each: usually 'this could be sorted if we all shared/pooled our efforts and worked through international institutions' such as the UN or Lord Patten's beloved EU. Most notworthy however, is Patten's quite sensible thoughts on the continued survival and importance of the nation state in the international system. Whilst there a some aspects of Patten's approach to international affairs I disagree with, there is an undeniably consistent argument in 'What Next?' that deserves to be considered. A great book.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was very successful in explaining the present by outlining the past, but I think had mixed results with the second goal of providing solutions and suggestions for fixing the 21st century's problems (no easy task admittedly). I was hugely impressed by the chapters on the environment, global warming and nuclear arms; much less so on the discussions for eliminating poverty. Of course, I also disagree entirely with the notion of a nation state and the author's passionate defence of institutions like the European Commission, United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank etc did not convince me that the horrific bureaucracy is actually worth it.

An interesting read nonetheless.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the updated version (2009) and while, still sorely out of date (a lot has happened in four years!), this is a fabulous book if you are looking for a general overview of many of the challenges facing our world. Patten seems to speak quite knowledgeably and confidently on an array of topics - from climate change to terrorism to war and poverty. For anyone wanting to know a little on a lot of topics when it comes to current events - I would recommend this book!

[Jake Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of information. I felt much more informed after reading this book, but maybe that's because I agreed with the majority of Patten's ideas. A little less cheerful than Friedman's The World Is Flat and more laced in foreign policy than technology excerpts. In a word, Patten is a smart dude.

[Bjorn Hardarson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Patter writes this excellent book on the current condition and future of the world. He addresses subject as energy, food, water, drug trafficking, epidemic diseases migration and climate change. "As he say very little in the world has turned out as we expected twenty years ago"

[Jeanie Behounek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really needed a realistic, yet non-doomsday prophetic view of politics and history. Chris Patten has definitely enabled me to relinquish all my former conspiratorial theories, and to accept and appreciate the complexity of power, money and political crises.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A magisterial worldview of the problems facing us in the coming century. Very readable.

[Geoff Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, insightful, and intelligent.

[Jacques Meldrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eloquently written on the part of Patten, and a fantastic insight into a career of a truly courageous man.