Its Thailand. A thousand Brits, Aussi's, Germans, and Japanese are rotating themselves like piece of meat on a barbacu under the Thai sun, watching the golden youth through their dark glasses strut up and down the beech, and cauterizing the pain of being working stiffs with thrillers, romances, military fantsies and the like... and this was the only serious book being read. The Russian businessman and myself have a great time discussing it all as we sank cocktail after cocktail as the sun went down! Its a big picture book and absolutely right for the current moment as the world looses its compass.... but a bit rose tinted at the end...and might well be read in conjunction with Arendt's chapter on imperilism in her totalitarian book ... or Polyani "transformation's" book.