Episode · Dwarkesh Podcast · 2023-11-15
Books mentioned on Dominic Cummings - COVID, Brexit, & Fixing Western Governance
Here is my interview with Dominic Cummings on why Western governments are so dangerously broken, and how to fix them before an even more catastrophic crisis. Dominic was Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister during COVID, and before that, director of Vote Leave (which masterminded the 2016 Brexit referendum).
Dwarkesh Patel discussed Breaking History by Jared Kushner, Now it Can be Told by Leslie R. Groves, The years of Lyndon Johnson (Volumes 1-3) by Robert A. Caro, and The Kill Chain by Christian Brose.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Breaking History
Breaking History by Jared Kushner is a White House memoir written by the former senior advisor to President Donald Trump, offering an insider account of high-stakes political events, policy decisions, and international negotiations during his time in office.
Discussed“And if you read Jared Kushner's book, Memoir about the White House, there are very, very similar tales there.”
Where to get it
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Now it Can be Told
Discussed“Manhattan Project is much in the news with the Oppenheimer movie. If you look at the very last bit of General Grove's book on Manhattan Project, he talks about what are the most fundamental principles about why it succeeded?”
Where to get it
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The years of Lyndon Johnson (Volumes 1-3)
The years of Lyndon Johnson (Volumes 1-3) by Robert A.
Discussed“This reminds me of this wonderful biography of LBJ that Robert Caro wrote. In volume three, which is about him taking over the Senate...”
Where to get it
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The Kill Chain
The Kill Chain by Christian Brose is a critical examination of modern military strategy, technological vulnerabilities, and the urgent need for Western defense systems to adapt to twenty-first-century warfare.
Discussed“There's a book by a guy who now works at Anduril called the Kill Chain. The truth is that a lot of classified Pentagon stuff has said this.”
Where to get it
