Chris Patten

Patten was the last Governor of Hong Kong and afterwards became Europe's Commissioner for External Relations. In the book, he attempts to provide insights into the world of diplomacy and discusses the position of a unified Europe in relation to the United States and emerging powers such as India and China.

Transcript of a lecture organized by Centre for Security Analysis, Chennai, and the University of Madras, India.

Walter Mosley’s What Next dares to propose that African Americans can have a voice and play a leading capitalism, which profits from creating wars, hunger and death around the world. It condemns our government’s corrupt political leadership and its subservience to corporations as opposed to the democratic will of the people. And perhaps most provocative of all, it encourages everyday people to take action to bring about world peace. Shocked by the events of 9/11 (witnessed from his New York apartment), bestselling author Mosley like many other Americans, question why our enemies hate us so. Mosley’s answer did not come from the endless news coverage but from conversations he had as a child and as an adult with his father. These conversations provided a background and a filter for Mosley to explore what it means for African Americans to be Americans, to be attacked by America’s enemies, and to stand for world peace. Leroy Mosley, the author’s father, was a hard working provider, a deep thinker, and a contemporary urban philosopher. Drafted into the army during the Second World War, he quickly discovered German troops shot at him just as readily as they did other Americans. This experience convinced Leroy that he was indeed a full-fledged citizen of the United States. Watching the trail of smoke rise from the damaged twin towers, the younger Mosley was reminded of his father’s journey to his own self-styled emancipation. Reader be warned: this is not another 9/11 book. In an engaging and unique style Mosley argues, for African Americans, with centuries of experience fighting against slavery, racism and oppression, the struggle for global equality is a natural role.

Essays from the Reith lectures, BBC radio 4.