The Chessboard and the Web: Strategies of Connection in a Networked World

Slaughter, a former director of the State Department Office of Policy Planning, presents a new framework for foreign policy, proposing a fundamental shift away from the traditional chessboard method of international strategy that pits sovereign nations in competition with each other for resource allocation. Instead she argues for an approach that builds both literally and metaphorically on the rise of digital networks, one that relies on “open society, open government, and an open international system.” It’s a complicated argument that’s both technical and academic, and as result not conducive to the audio format. Voice actor Perrin does the best with material she has, reading in a clear steady voice; still, listeners are often left in dizzying confusion. A Yale Univ. hardcover. (Mar.)