her.
‘I don’t know what global governance is,’ she said eventually.
Joel grinned. ‘Don’t worry, honey. There isn’t any.’
‘Joel, that’s not true!’ said Marion.
Ella looked at Dave. ‘Looks like they’re having another healthy disagreement,’ she said conspiratorially.
Dave laughed. ‘Looks like they are.’
After dinner Ella went to get ready for bed. Marion went with her. When she came back Dave had made coffee. He poured her a cup.
Dave was a lawyer with a small Wall Street firm. His career had played second fiddle to Marion’s as her jobs had taken the family east and then west and then east again across the country. That was a deal they had agreed. They both had a strong sense of public service and while Marion worked in education or the administration, this was Dave’s way of fulfilling it.
‘Joel’s got a book coming out,’ she said to Dave as she took the coffee.
Joel gave him a look of mock apology. ‘What else am I supposed to do with my life?’
‘Don’t act so coy,’ said Marion. ‘I heard you work it in a couple of times tonight.’
‘You can’t blame me for trying.’
‘What’s it called?’ asked Dave.
‘ Switch .’ Joel grinned. ‘I know, I know. Catchy title, huh? Switch: The historical imperative for the twenty-first century. I’ll send you a copy.’ He glanced at Marion. ‘I will, actually.’
‘I’ll look forward to it.’
‘Read it,’ said Joel. ‘Not the whole thing. Chapter 1, chapter 4, chapter 6. That’s enough. Of course, it’s elegantly argued and beautifully written, so if you want extra punishment you can read the whole thing.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Joel nodded. He took a sip of his coffee, then leaned back with a faint smile on his lips.
‘What?’ said Marion.
‘Nothing.’
‘I know that look, Dr Ehrenreich.’
‘Okay. I’ll tell you what it is. This Uganda escapade intrigues me. It’s interesting.’
‘Really? I think it’s very straightforward.’
‘You’re way too smart to think that, Marion. Especially the way the president has chosen to go about it. He might think it’s straightforward, but you don’t.’
Marion didn’t reply.
‘I see we can’t divulge state secrets.’
‘Tell me why you think it’s not straightforward.’
‘Okay.’ Joel hardly needed more of an invitation. ‘Well, for a start, it’s a sign of weakness on the part of the United States.’
Marion nodded non-committally. Typical Joel. Say something as outrageously contrarian as you can and then sit back to see what happens. Everyone saw the intervention as a show of strength. The debate within the administration – to the extent there had been any debate – had centered on whether it was the right time and place for it.
‘How so?’ she said. It was always entertaining to watch Joel scrambling to create a rationale for something he had thrown out for effect.
But this was obviously a view he had thought about. ‘This is a challenge to China. We go into a region in which they see themselves as having established a place as the predominant power and say we’re going to clean something up. But the thing we choose is so straightforward, so black and white that we corner them into a situation where they can’t object. But let’s face it, it’s an issue that’s completely trivial in respect of our own geostrategic interests. So if I’m sitting on the other side, if I’m sitting in Beijing, this doesn’t say to me, hey, you know what, the US is a strong power and it’s going to challenge me on issues of genuine concern. It says to me, the US is a weakening power and knows it can only challenge me on an issue that doesn’t touch on my critical interests.’
Marion glanced at Dave for a moment, then back at Joel. ‘That’s a novel interpretation.’
‘You don’t think it’s right?’
‘No, I don’t think it is right. For a start, you’re looking at this through the lens of geostrategic
‘I don’t know what global governance is,’ she said eventually.
Joel grinned. ‘Don’t worry, honey. There isn’t any.’
‘Joel, that’s not true!’ said Marion.
Ella looked at Dave. ‘Looks like they’re having another healthy disagreement,’ she said conspiratorially.
Dave laughed. ‘Looks like they are.’
After dinner Ella went to get ready for bed. Marion went with her. When she came back Dave had made coffee. He poured her a cup.
Dave was a lawyer with a small Wall Street firm. His career had played second fiddle to Marion’s as her jobs had taken the family east and then west and then east again across the country. That was a deal they had agreed. They both had a strong sense of public service and while Marion worked in education or the administration, this was Dave’s way of fulfilling it.
‘Joel’s got a book coming out,’ she said to Dave as she took the coffee.
Joel gave him a look of mock apology. ‘What else am I supposed to do with my life?’
‘Don’t act so coy,’ said Marion. ‘I heard you work it in a couple of times tonight.’
‘You can’t blame me for trying.’
‘What’s it called?’ asked Dave.
‘ Switch .’ Joel grinned. ‘I know, I know. Catchy title, huh? Switch: The historical imperative for the twenty-first century. I’ll send you a copy.’ He glanced at Marion. ‘I will, actually.’
‘I’ll look forward to it.’
‘Read it,’ said Joel. ‘Not the whole thing. Chapter 1, chapter 4, chapter 6. That’s enough. Of course, it’s elegantly argued and beautifully written, so if you want extra punishment you can read the whole thing.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’
Joel nodded. He took a sip of his coffee, then leaned back with a faint smile on his lips.
‘What?’ said Marion.
‘Nothing.’
‘I know that look, Dr Ehrenreich.’
‘Okay. I’ll tell you what it is. This Uganda escapade intrigues me. It’s interesting.’
‘Really? I think it’s very straightforward.’
‘You’re way too smart to think that, Marion. Especially the way the president has chosen to go about it. He might think it’s straightforward, but you don’t.’
Marion didn’t reply.
‘I see we can’t divulge state secrets.’
‘Tell me why you think it’s not straightforward.’
‘Okay.’ Joel hardly needed more of an invitation. ‘Well, for a start, it’s a sign of weakness on the part of the United States.’
Marion nodded non-committally. Typical Joel. Say something as outrageously contrarian as you can and then sit back to see what happens. Everyone saw the intervention as a show of strength. The debate within the administration – to the extent there had been any debate – had centered on whether it was the right time and place for it.
‘How so?’ she said. It was always entertaining to watch Joel scrambling to create a rationale for something he had thrown out for effect.
But this was obviously a view he had thought about. ‘This is a challenge to China. We go into a region in which they see themselves as having established a place as the predominant power and say we’re going to clean something up. But the thing we choose is so straightforward, so black and white that we corner them into a situation where they can’t object. But let’s face it, it’s an issue that’s completely trivial in respect of our own geostrategic interests. So if I’m sitting on the other side, if I’m sitting in Beijing, this doesn’t say to me, hey, you know what, the US is a strong power and it’s going to challenge me on issues of genuine concern. It says to me, the US is a weakening power and knows it can only challenge me on an issue that doesn’t touch on my critical interests.’
Marion glanced at Dave for a moment, then back at Joel. ‘That’s a novel interpretation.’
‘You don’t think it’s right?’
‘No, I don’t think it is right. For a start, you’re looking at this through the lens of geostrategic
Similar Books
