Duffman,
I have not read that book. A good source of info is “The Dollar Crisis” by IMF consultant Richard Duncan.
He points out how the abandonment of the dollar standard in the early seventies resulted in a quantum shift in global economic dynamics that have resulted in huge current account deficit problems in countries such as Australia and the US. Such deficits have been manageable until the arrival of the Euro and the alternatives it will provide oil producing countries such as Iran, KSR and Venezuela. The shadow plays we see around these countries have little to do with WMD, human rights or even access to oil.
The two biggest issues facing us in the coming decades are global warming and the collapse of US dollar hegemony. Such a collapse will re write the traditional rules regarding global geo politics with conflict being an inevitable by product.
I fear that Israel’s foray into Lebanon this week is merely the commencement of US attempts to draw Iran into a proxy war with Israel.
This could get very interesting.