False Economy : A Surprising Economic History Of The World

In 2001 Argentina's government bankrupted itself, yet for the past two hundred years it had enjoyed a vista of economic opportunity almost identical to that of the USA. Why did the USA succeed while Argentina stalled? Botswana and Sierra Leone are both blessed with abundant diamonds. Why did Botswana became the world's fastest-growing economy while Sierra Leone suffered a decade of brutal civil war? And why is it that even the governments of the richest and most sophisticated countries in the world are vulnerable to being hijacked by tiny groups of farmers?