The Age of Unpeace

"The ""age of unpeace"" [is] an apt phrase for an era in which wars between states are uncommon but conflict is endemic... Leonard adroitly captures evolving trends in geopolitics over the past decade... Leonard's argument is all the more compelling because of the way his own beliefs have evolved. * New Statesman * Thought-provoking... If Leonard is right, then every trade deal or every new technology that brings people closer will also make the world a more dangerous place. * Irish Times * Leonard is a creative and well-connected thinker, and his timely, insightful book is useful for its explanations of the differing ideological viewpoints found in Beijing, Brussels and Washington, with an interesting section on Chinese thinkers in particular. Just as important, he explains why the conflicts in our global era remain so different from those in the cold war, in particular given the role being played by new technologies from quantum computing to machine learning as a new focus for geopolitical contestation. -- James Crabtree * Financial Times * Mark Leonard... has been a force in foreign policy thinking for a quarter century... rich in data and anecdote... If you're feeling intellectually disoriented after the fall of Kabul, start here. -- Matthew d'Ancona, <i>Tortoise</i> Compulsively readable, Mark Leonard's globe-trotting book not only offers us a fascinating and disturbing panorama, it redefines realism for an age of massive and toxic connectivity. Rather than fleeing into anachronistic visions of grand architecture and Cold War rhetoric, it demands that we face our actual problem. An essential course in geopolitical self-help. -- Adam Tooze, author of <i>Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World</i>"