I’ve been getting good reviews on my reading lists lately, so I think I’m going to make it a monthly or bi-monthly thing. As many of you know, I read a lot. Most of my free time is spent filtering through weird corners of the internet in search of interesting essays or Googling my thoughts pursuing hidden gems. I usually stumble across some pretty interesting reads.
Given the current events, inevitably a lot of my thoughts have been on the Middle East. The reading list below will clearly document that. I’ve read my fair share of economics, philosophy, and other scattered topics this month as well. For convenience, I organize these lists into topics and the articles aren’t ranked in any particular order. It goes without saying that I don’t endorse or agree with most of the opinions and pieces, but they are interesting nonetheless. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss any of the articles below.
On the Middle East
A ray of light: a strategic opportunity that must not be missed
The Rescuers - Thomas Friedman
I Have Never Been to This Israel Before - Thomas Friedman
Economics / Finance
Every building in America - an analysis of US building stock
The long sad history of American high speed rail part 1, and part 2
The Federal Reserve and Critical Moments in U.S. Monetary Policy
Philosophy
Science: Conjectures and Refutations - Karl Popper
Modernity - Jean Baudrillard
Misc.
I also published two articles in the past month: one on the conflicting datapoints and perceptions of the US economy in the run-up to the 2024 election, and one on Israeli society's response to Hamas’ atrocities. I suggest reading those as well, if you haven’t yet. I would also like to do a shoutout to the Free Press for their excellent coverage of the Israel-Hamas war lately; if you haven’t read any of their work yet, I highly suggest you do so. If you want to see more, or less, of these reading lists please do let me know. For now, looking forward to seeing you next month.