The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict, and Warnings from History

Odd Arne Westad examines the threat of Great Power conflict in the twenty-first century and what interventions might prevent it. Most people alive today have experienced a world of relative stability under one or two Superpowers, though not necessarily peaceful. As multiple Great Powers now compete for regional dominance and advantage in nuclear technology, artificial intelligence, space exploration, and trade, global stability has become more fragile and unpredictable. Westad argues that war among today's Great Powers would reach unprecedented levels of devastation. To understand current threats, he draws parallels to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Great Powers competed for regional control, nationalism and populism rose, and many felt globalization had failed them. That era saw increased tariffs, immigration and terrorism as major concerns, and growing blame directed at citizens of other countries for domestic problems—patterns Westad identifies as echoing the present day.