Apr 11, 2018

Sneak peek: Ian Bremmer on the failure of globalism

Ian Bremmer's new book
Courtesy Portfolio

Ian Bremmer, author of "Every Nation for Itself" and "Superpower," now takes on the populist backlash against globalism with a stark warning about where this trend might be headed in his new book, "Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism," out April 24.

Ian's insight: It’s not just Europe and America. Technological and economic changes, the historic flow of people across borders, and public demand for protection have empowered a whole new class of politicians with a talent for pitting one group against another.

  • The scale: The book goes deep on a dozen countries, including China, India, Russia, Brazil, Turkey and others.
  • A warning: Walls, real and virtual, are on the rise. Think repression + populism + protectionism for the digital age.

There’s a hopeful vision, too:

  • To adapt and survive, some governments will experiment with ambitious plans to rewrite the social contract that underpins society. 
  • They’ll remake the way children and adults are educated, how workers can be retrained, and how societies can prevent a widening of the gap between rich and poor.

Go deeper ... Read an excerpt ... Here’s some video of Ian sounding the alarm.

Go deeper