by Ian Bremmer
First published 2018
Globalization promised prosperity for everyone, but millions of people lost jobs, security, and hope instead. Ian Bremmer analyzes how these disappointed citizens turned to populist leaders who blame elites and promise to restore national greatness. Trump won by attacking immigration and trade deals. Britain voted to exit the European Union. Anti-establishment parties gained power across Europe. Bremmer argues this populist wave will spread to emerging nations like Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, and India, where rising expectations meet government failures. China builds digital surveillance systems to prevent unrest. Other countries will construct physical and virtual walls to protect insiders from outsiders. When people feel threatened, they seek enemies to blame and allies to join. Governments respond by tightening control over their populations. Bremmer reveals how this us-versus-them mentality shapes politics worldwide and offers strategies for navigating an increasingly divided world.
Genres: international-relations, political-science, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, us-versus-them
Setting: Brazil, China, Europe, India, Mexico, Turkey, United States
Period: 21st Century
208 pages · Hardcover · Portfolio