First published 2024
Fareed Zakaria argues that our current era of populist anger, technological disruption, and geopolitical instability mirrors three pivotal historical transformations. He examines how seventeenth-century Netherlands became the world's wealthiest nation through political innovation, how the French Revolution consumed its own supporters while leaving a violent inheritance, and how the Industrial Revolution launched Britain and America to global supremacy. Zakaria then analyzes four contemporary upheavals: globalization, technology, identity politics, and shifting geopolitics as American dominance wanes. He contends that while globalization and technological change have created widespread disruption and anxiety, identity has become the central battleground of modern politics. Despite these challenges occurring simultaneously, Zakaria maintains that pessimism is unwarranted. He believes the liberal international order can recover and populism can be defeated through wise action.
Genres: history, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, academic, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-analysis
Setting: France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States
Period: 17th Century, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, 21st Century
386 pages · Kindle Edition · W. W. Norton & Company