What to read after MEMOIRS OF AN AGENT FOR CHANGE IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

Lu Rudel describes his unique experiences with US foreign economic aid programs during some of the most dramatic international events since World War II. These include Iran after the fall of Mosaddegh (1956-1960); Turkey after the military coup of 1960 to the start of the Cuba Missile crisis; India after the death of Nehru (1965-1970); and Pakistan following the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988.

Rudel’s firsthand observations on Iran differ markedly from the description of events commonly espoused by some historians and journalists.

He also provides a firsthand account of the political metamorphosis over the past half-century of the “Group of 77” nations as they attempted to employ the UN’s economic development agencies to press for a “New International Economic Order.” These experiences lead him to draw important lessons about the conduct and effectiveness of foreign aid.

After retirement in 1980 he launched a second career, applying lessons learned from his work in international development to creation of a thousand-acre land development and resort in rural Appalachia. His experiences over the following thirty years as an entrepreneur track the relentless growth of government regulations and the disappearance of community support institutions such as local banks, now being replaced by mega-banks.

Finally, he examines global trends of the past eighty years in four critical areas of change affecting our lives–population growth, science and technology, economic systems, and political structures–to draw some surprising conclusions and projections.