The New World Disorder

The West has fatally overestimated itself. What does this mean for the world? Peter R. Neumann is an internationally acclaimed expert on terrorism and geopolitics. In this coruscating analysis of global politics, he sets out the dangers the world will face if the West fails to reinvent itself. Over the past thirty years, through a mixture of naivety and arrogance, the West has lost its global advantage. The challenges are profound: the rise of China, climate change, and the polarization of society. It’s time for a new start: modernity must become sustainable if it is to survive. The triumph of the West had seemed unstoppable not that long ago. After the end of the Cold War, the democratic market economy took hold in the former Eastern Bloc, Russia went from being an enemy to a partner, and even China turned to capitalism. Then came the terrorist attacks of 9/11 that shook the world. The War on Terror destabilized an entire region; the Arab Spring only brought forth new autocracies; and, following the annexation of Crimea, the confrontation with Russia intensified. Instead of a liberal world order, a new world disorder has emerged.