State Succession and Historical Challenges Considered - Book Review

By Lance Winslow
Nearly a decade ago, I entered a used book store in Calgary and found it most intriguing, it was an old two-story house, and every room was filled with used books for sale. I bought too many books, and since I was on vacation, I had them sent slow boat to China "no hurry" UPS, figuring by the time my vacation was over the books would arrive. Yes, I am kind of a bookworm amongst other things.

In any case one book I bought had intrigued me and it was on the dollar table there. I stuck it in one of my book shelves thinking that some day, I might need that information, and sure enough that someday appears to be upon me.

You see, today I run a Think Tank which operates online and we talk a lot about geo-politics. This book is about succession and it is well worth reading. No you cannot have my copy, as I have to keep this one for a reference - it is a topic that is re-occurring. Nevertheless, below is some information on the book in case you want to find an old copy somewhere - perhaps on eBay? The name of the book is:

"Succession - The Morality of Political Divorce from Fort Sumter to Lithuania and Quebec," By Allen Buchanan, Westview Press, San Francisco, CA, (1991), pages 174; ISBN: 0-8133-1132-2.

Although this book is almost 20-years old, it hardly matters, the implications of succession are all too common whether we are talking about former Soviet nations, European Union Nations, or even a US State such as Texas getting fed up with Washington DC's overbearing wielding of power. Texans don't seem to like that much.

It is eerily similar the historical accounts of succession and what brings men to devolve their former agreements to share synergies in a larger union. As a former franchisor, I understand the need to keep the union together, along with Abraham Lincoln's dilemma as the Civil War approached. After reading this book recently, I completely understand why the EU asked the IMF, and even the US to intervene with resources to assist in bailing out Greece to preserve the EU, as that would have far reaching implications world-wide.

This book is a great piece of research, and I'd put it up near some of wisdom I've found over the years reading Henry Kissinger's Essays, Winston Churchill's insight, or Allan Greenspan's memoir. If you are involved in a potential succession, I think you need to own your own copy of this book as well. So, please consider all this.