Advances in Economic Theory: Sixth World Congress, Vol. 2 Book

I read this book hoping to find some insights or predictions about where the current economic mess is headed, internationally and domestically. What I got was a windy and frequently opaque description of past international and domestic financial crises, padded by a series of self-serving and egotistical, self-serving anecdotes and name-dropping taken from Mr. Smick's career as an economic consultant.
For the most part, I was unable to follow the logic in his explanations of international credit and the interplay of interest rates and rates of exchange. Perhaps they are obvious to him, but I doubt if most readers will follow them. He simply states what happened, but fails to clearly explain why.
Very disappointing; I'll have to look elsewhere for enlightenment.