The Coming Storm
Power, Conflict and Warnings from History
Published on 5. March 2026
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-241-77057-3 (ISBN)
Description
A prescient, thoughtful and chilling examination of the current state of the world
If there are lessons from history, now is the time when we need to heed them, so that we do not end up in another Great Power war because of the fatal combinations of jingoism, fear, fatalism, and sheer stupidity that set off the first major war of the 20th century.
The great majority of people alive today have come of age in a world of remarkable stability, presided over by either one or two superpowers. This is not to say the world has been peaceful; but it has to an extent been predictable. As an increasing number of Great Powers now jostle for regional supremacy our world has become more fragile, unpredictable - and combustible.
The great majority of people alive today have come of age in a world of remarkable stability, presided over by either one or two superpowers. This is not to say the world has been peaceful; but it has to an extent been predictable. As an increasing number of Great Powers now jostle for regional supremacy our world has become more fragile, unpredictable - and combustible.
To understand the threats that face us in this complex new terrain, we must look to the lessons of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century - a time when Great Powers clashed and sought regional dominance, when nationalism and populism were on the rise, and many felt that globalization had failed them: a time, in other words, that carries eerie parallels with our own.
If there are lessons from history, now is the time when we need to heed them, so that we do not end up in another Great Power war because of the fatal combinations of jingoism, fear, fatalism, and sheer stupidity that set off the first major war of the 20th century.
The great majority of people alive today have come of age in a world of remarkable stability, presided over by either one or two superpowers. This is not to say the world has been peaceful; but it has to an extent been predictable. As an increasing number of Great Powers now jostle for regional supremacy our world has become more fragile, unpredictable - and combustible.
The great majority of people alive today have come of age in a world of remarkable stability, presided over by either one or two superpowers. This is not to say the world has been peaceful; but it has to an extent been predictable. As an increasing number of Great Powers now jostle for regional supremacy our world has become more fragile, unpredictable - and combustible.
To understand the threats that face us in this complex new terrain, we must look to the lessons of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century - a time when Great Powers clashed and sought regional dominance, when nationalism and populism were on the rise, and many felt that globalization had failed them: a time, in other words, that carries eerie parallels with our own.
Reviews / Votes
Praise for Odd Arne Westad's previous book The Cold War * - * Westad has demonstrated that it is possible to tell the vast story of the Cold War in just 600 pages...a clear and well-written summary of a global conflict -- Gerard Degroot * The Times * Ambitious, perspicacious and panoramic in scope * Financial Times * A tremendous and timely history lesson for our age * Kirkus Reviews * Westad's panoramic history is an impressive feat * Publisher's Weekly * The Cold War evinces a lifetime of research and thought on the subject. Compelling ideas and valuable insights appear frequently * National Interest * Westad's ambitious book wrests attention away from the classic arenas of Moscow, Berlin and Washington, and looks instead at Indonesia, Chile, Angola, China and Korea, showing how the Cold War affected the globe and how it was, in turn, shaped by events in seemingly distant lands * Herald Scotland *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 221 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
362 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-241-77057-3 (9780241770573)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2026
Penguin
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Odd Arne Westad FBA is a Norwegian historian specializing in the Cold War and contemporary East Asian history. He is the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University. He has published a number of books on modern and contemporary international history, among them The Cold War: A World History, and Restless Empire. He is the co-author of The Penguin History of the World.