The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World - Hardcover

by Hal Brands (Author)

We often think of the modern era as the age of American power. In reality, we're living in a long, violent Eurasian century. That giant, resource-rich landmass possesses the bulk of the global population, industrial might, and potential military power; it touches all four of the great oceans. Eurasia is a strategic prize without equal--which is why the world has been roiled, reshaped, and nearly destroyed by clashes over the supercontinent.

Since the early twentieth century, autocratic powers--from Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm II to the Soviet Union--have aspired for dominance by seizing commanding positions in the world's strategic heartland. Offshore sea powers, namely the United Kingdom and America, have sought to make the world safe for democracy by keeping Eurasia in balance. America's rivalries with China, Russia, and Iran are the next round in this geopolitical game. If this new authoritarian axis succeeds in enacting a radically revised international order, America and other democracies will be vulnerable and insecure.

Hal Brands, a renowned expert on global affairs, argues that a better understanding of Eurasia's strategic geography can illuminate the contours of rivalry and conflict in today's world. The Eurasian Century explains how revolutions in technology and warfare, and the rise of toxic ideologies of conquest, made Eurasia the center of twentieth-century geopolitics--with pressing implications for the struggles that will define the twenty-first.

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Praise for Hal Brands

"Hal Brands' insights are essential reading for the public and policymakers alike on the most pressing national--security challenges of our time....There are many who claim to understand and explain world events, but Hal is the gold standard by which others should be judged."
-- Time (Time100 Next list, 2024)

Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict with China (with Michael Beckley)

"Unflinching and historically grounded, provocative and richly researched, this refreshing, pioneering work delivers a necessary corrective to narrow thinking and relaxed timelines in dealing with China."
-- General Jim Mattis, U.S. Marines (ret.) and 26th Secretary of Defense

"Brilliant and engagingly written, this warning by two outstanding scholars is especially timely in light of recent events. Are Americans ready for what may be coming? They will be better prepared if they read this book."
-- Robert Kagan, author of The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941