Mike’s Reviews > Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy > Status Update

Not much has changed (I had to read very new little for this particular assignment). The only new thing I have to say is that it's weird how many of these books about diplomacy emphasize the importance of the ability to eat anything.

The cold, textbook-like tone just makes this information creepy. It's like a handbook for an evil regime, but not presented as such.

I find it a little unsettling how there's been no discussion so far of the human consequences to diplomacy; very little indication that there are lives at stake, or that the well-being of people is something we should value. This book reflects a single-minded focus on the goals of one's nation, without any indication of what those goals should be; in theory, they could be totally arbitrary or even evil.