The return of history and the end of dreams by Robert Kagan

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, many Americans hoped for a new international landscape in which all nations cooperated peacefully, recognizing diversity but avoiding all conflict. Robert Kagan considers that idea to be an empty and naïve hope, as competition and conflict between autocracies in a resurgent Russia and an exploding China, as well as the rapid development in India, Japan and Iran, conflict with the geopolitical forces of the United States and Europe. Add radical Islamists who challenge all modern secular powers and democracies to the mix and you have the confusing and volatile brew that is the current state of affairs in the global order.

Robert Kagan, a columnist for the Washington Post, and the author of several other books on International Relations, provides a well-reasoned, highly-understandable overview of the current state of world affairs today. Although short in length (the book is just over 100 pages not counting footnotes), it provides a useful framework for understanding today’s headlines, while offering some understanding for possible solutions to shape tomorrow’s events. Well worth reading!