Recommended to me by a libertarian when I was a Bernie Bro lib. Read it and remember kinda liking it at the time.

Libs of all stripes will universally love this book. Only ones who don't hate it because they're addicted to moral grandstanding. But really, it's trash that libs love because it confirms all their clichés. This is something a lib will read then feel scholarly putting everything Putin or Xi does in these terms while smugly libsplaining to other libs about "how authoritarians think"

Maybe a handful of worthwhile thoughts in the whole thing, but most of it is drivel or immediately obvious observations.

If you understand dialectical materialism and base/superstructure, there's little for you to learn, but if you don't, this is a book that will reinforce idealist brainworms with bits of historical anecdotes to provide an air of pseudo-intellectualism.

High fructose corn syrup of idealism posing as an unhealthy, lib-safe materialism substitute.

Best analogies I can draw are:

• The Art of War, repackaged in an even lib friendlier form.
• "Rules for Rulers" video by CGPGrey, but in book form.

Lovers of poorly-drawn alternate history or stick figure YouTube videos justifying western imperialism would enjoy this. Has no real use for Marxists unless you have no interpersonal skills.

If you're that interested, read the bulleted list of rules.