The Influence of Soros

May 4, 2020
Journalist Tamkin debuts with an unconventional yet fair-minded biography of the Hungarian-American investor and philanthropist, George Soros. Though Tamkin briskly sketches Soros’s life story—surviving the Holocaust, making a fortune on Wall Street, founding the philanthropic organization Open Society—she focuses on the moral and psychological implications of his choices and how anti-Semitism and resentment have fueled rumors about him. Pointing to Soros’s estimated $10 billion bet against the British pound in 1992, which helped push England out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and caused “economic chaos,” Tamkin highlights tensions in his career as a financial speculator and his philanthropic efforts to foster democracy and promote equality around the world. She traces Soros’s political influence from the 1990s to the present, noting many instances in which he has drawn the ire of world leaders including Hungarian prime minister Victor Orbán, and documents allegations that he was responsible for the European migrant crisis in 2015 and protests against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. Though newshounds will be familiar with a good deal of Tamkin’s rundown, she offers shrewd insights into the mechanisms by which a person can amass vast wealth and use it to effect change on a global scale. This judicious account cuts through the fog of conspiracy surrounding Soros. Agent: Noah Ballard, Curtis Brown, Ltd.

May 1, 2020
A close analysis of the causes the Hungarian-born billionaire has promoted and fought against over the decades. George Soros (b. 1930) has an undeniable influence on the political and economic process in the U.S. and elsewhere. The question is: Is it good or bad? Former Foreign Policy staff writer Tamkin examines the sources of his power and his interests in using it to achieve extrapersonal ends. As a pioneer in hedge funds, for instance, he has become "perhaps the most famous currency speculator in history," his earnings outstripping the economies of entire countries. He has used much of his fortune to promote his Open Society initiatives, in turn inspired by the philosopher Karl Popper, who, like Soros, had witnessed the rise of totalitarian powers in Europe early in the 20th century but did not live to see Hungary return to autocratic rule. Indeed, by Tamkin's account, Soros has spent $32 billion "working for justice, democratic governance, and human rights." This has put him squarely in the sights of the right wing, spokespersons for which--Glenn Beck, for one--have accused Soros of collaborating with the Nazis during World War II (he was a child at the time). Rather than spend his fortune suing the perpetrators of such stories, Soros has instead worked within existing systems and laws to build himself up as a person "too powerful to operate in one sense as a citizen of the market and in the other sense as a citizen of the political sphere." As Tamkin allows, this immense power is in some regards contradictory to the spirit of the "open society," which pledges equality, particularly equality of access to the political system--for which reason Vladimir Putin has banned Open Society organizations from operating in Russia. Still, Soros continues to promote controversial causes, including immigration reform in the U.S., yet another reason to draw right-wing ire. A welcome study of a man whose outsize power in the marketplace and public sphere fascinates.

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May 22, 2020

Journalist Tamkin's debut is an investigation of George Soros and his influence as a successful investor, philanthropist, and political policymaker. Though conspiracy theorists have spun negative allegations about Soros recently, he was relatively unknown outside the financial world for most of his life. In particular, Tamkin explores whether his efforts to use his influence to create a fairer, freer, more open society is inherently at odds with his status as a billionaire. The author describes Soros's background, growing up Jewish in Nazi-occupied Hungary. The narrative continues by describing in more detail how his expertise in finance enabled him to become a successful hedge-fund owner. Tamkin also tells how Soros began his philanthropic activities in 1979 with a foundation that provided opportunity for fairness, freedom, and economic equity in countries such as Hungary and Poland. Finally, Tamkin discusses the reaction to Soros's philanthropy in societies where governments resisted the efforts to promote openness and democratic principles. The extensive, well-documented research shows that Soros has wide influence in trying to make the world a better place. VERDICT Readers who enjoy political history and international relations will find this book informative and useful.--Jill Ortner, SUNY Buffalo Libs.

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