New books we're reading

Two new books we're reading on those business trips. The first is an absolute non-fiction thriller, The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB, the story of the CIA during from the 1980s (1985 is referred to as the 'Year of the Spy') and the fall of the Soviet Union.

Next up is Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America's Soul, a book by the Latin American editor at The Economist. This book argues that rather than failing the test, Latin America’s efforts to build fairer and more prosperous societies make it one of the world’s most vigorous laboratories for capitalist democracy. In many countries—including Brazil, Chile and Mexico—democratic leaders are laying the foundations for faster economic growth and more inclusive politics, as well as tackling deep-rooted problems of poverty, inequality, and social injustice. They face a new challenge from Hugo Chávez’s oil-fuelled populism, and much is at stake. Failure will increase the flow of drugs and illegal immigrants to the United States and Europe, jeopardize stability in a region rich in oil and other strategic commodities, and threaten some of the world's most majestic natural environments.