After the Fall
From the End of History to the Crisis of Democracy, How Politicians Broke Our World
Published on 5. May 2026
320 pages
978-1-5416-0627-2 (ISBN)
Description
A renowned political scientist's searing explanation for the rightward turn of global politics since the end of the Cold War.
"A compelling analysis-profoundly challenging to so many Western assumptions-with an admirable blend of realism, imagination, unflinching criticism, and generosity." ―Rory Stewart, author The Places in Between
The collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in an era of tremendous political optimism: communism was receding and democracy was on the march in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and much of Asia. Even surviving communist regimes were adopting capitalism, and the stagflation of the 1970s and industrial strife of the 1980s were in the rearview mirror.
Four decades later, euphoria has given way to resentment and pessimism. Britain left the EU, Donald Trump's populist crusade gained him the White House not once, but twice, and right-wing parties have gained power across Europe and other parts of the world on a scale not seen since the 1930s. What happened?
In After the Fall, pre-eminent political scientist Ian Shapiro argues that the current crisis was far from inevitable. Politicians made consistently bad choices on topics ranging from NATO's future to the War on Terror to humanitarian intervention and the governance of their economies. In doing so, they fostered a crisis of confidence in political institutions, empowered anti-system parties and candidates, and produced a new Cold War as dangerous as the last.
By scrutinizing the roads not taken by politicians in the past, Shapiro maps out what better futures might still be possible.
"A compelling analysis-profoundly challenging to so many Western assumptions-with an admirable blend of realism, imagination, unflinching criticism, and generosity." ―Rory Stewart, author The Places in Between
The collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in an era of tremendous political optimism: communism was receding and democracy was on the march in Eastern Europe, Latin America, and much of Asia. Even surviving communist regimes were adopting capitalism, and the stagflation of the 1970s and industrial strife of the 1980s were in the rearview mirror.
Four decades later, euphoria has given way to resentment and pessimism. Britain left the EU, Donald Trump's populist crusade gained him the White House not once, but twice, and right-wing parties have gained power across Europe and other parts of the world on a scale not seen since the 1930s. What happened?
In After the Fall, pre-eminent political scientist Ian Shapiro argues that the current crisis was far from inevitable. Politicians made consistently bad choices on topics ranging from NATO's future to the War on Terror to humanitarian intervention and the governance of their economies. In doing so, they fostered a crisis of confidence in political institutions, empowered anti-system parties and candidates, and produced a new Cold War as dangerous as the last.
By scrutinizing the roads not taken by politicians in the past, Shapiro maps out what better futures might still be possible.
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Ian Shapiro
After the Fall
From the End of History to the Crisis of Democracy, How Politicians Broke Our World
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05/2026
Basic Books
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Ian Shapiro is Sterling Professor of Political Science and Global Affairs at Yale University. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the author of many books on politics. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.
