OAXACA JOURNAL
by Oliver Sacks
National Geographic Directions, £6.99
This is the latest in a terrific series in which idiosyncratic writers are given licence to talk about themselves in the context, usually, of a field trip to exotic places or esoteric interests. The enthusiasm with which they fill the space ideally evokes the character of each. Sacks joins the American Fern Society on a trip to Mexico, rejoicing in the “sense of adventure and wonder” that rules the group and enjoying the “sweet, unspoiled, preprofessional” camaraderie of enthusiasts as they politely hunt for ferns and happily soak up local colour.
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ILLICIT
by Moisés Naím
Heinemann, £12.99
“How smugglers, traffickers and copycats are hijacking the global economy” is a subject that generates headlines — the international trade in illicit arms, illegal drugs, hot money, faked consumer goods and the enslavement of people is a worldwide conflict between governments and networks of criminals often allied to terrorism. Naím, a former executive director of the World Bank, is shocked by the global insecurity that allows such large-scale underground activities to proliferate, and by the inability of governments to seal their borders.
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UKRAINE’S ORANGE REVOLUTION
by Andrew Wilson
Yale, £18.95
What’s going on in Ukraine? Should we worry? The poisoning that scarred the face of Victor Yushchenko, who won the critical 2004 election against a corrupt president in the face of opposition from President Putin of Russia, prompted international publicity about events in Kiev. Wilson analyses the politics of popular support for Yuschenko and considers the implications of Ukraine’s move away from the post-Soviet “managed democracy” of Russia to the more liberal democracy offered by Europe. Today, Ukraine is a bigger political player. Tomorrow, Moldova? Belarus? Russia itself? The stakes are high.