First published 2019
This international history examines the remarkable transformation that occurred between 1988 and 1992, when the Cold War world system collapsed and a new order emerged. Authors Condoleezza Rice and Philip Zelikow focus on the critical decisions that reshaped global politics, beginning in the late 1970s and extending to the present day. They conducted extensive research across multiple languages and interviewed key figures who lived through these events. The book centers on how leaders navigated unprecedented uncertainty as states dissolved and societies transformed. Unlike previous historical transitions marked by devastating conflicts, this period achieved massive change without terrible wars. The authors reveal the strategies, negotiations, and calculated risks behind the scenes as statesmen worked to create something better than the fractured world they inherited. These leaders had grown up in a postwar environment and sought to build a more peaceful and prosperous global system. Rice and Zelikow show both what actually happened and what might have occurred differently during these pivotal moments. Published for the thirtieth anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall, the book offers readers insight into contemporary statecraft and demonstrates how great nations can meet extraordinary challenges.
Genres: history, international-relations, 20th-century, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-drama, political-thriller
Setting: Berlin, Global
Period: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
439 pages · Kindle Edition · Twelve