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In the twenty-five years after 1989 the world enjoyed the deepest peace in its history. The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth examines that singular quarter century, describing how and why peace was established and then fell apart. Mandelbaum argues that peace ended because three important countries - Vladimir Putin's Russia in Europe, Xi Jinping's China in East Asia, and the Shia clerics' Iran in the Middle East - put an end to it with aggressive nationalist policies aimed at overturning the prevailing political arrangements in their respective regions. The three had a common motive: a dictatorial regime's need to survive in a democratic age with their prospects for economic growth uncertain. Mandelbaum further argues that the key to a return of peace lies in the advent of genuine democracy, including free elections and the protection of religious, economic, and political liberty. Since democracy cannot be imposed from the outside, The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth has a dual message: the world has a formula for peace, but there is no way to ensure that all countries embrace it.
List of contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter One: Europe: The Lost Peace
- Peace
- The Blunder
- From Yeltsin to Putin
- The End of Peace
- The New/Old Europe
- Chapter Two: East Asia: The Commercial Peace
- Peace
- Chinese Singularity
- Chinese Revisionism
- The Korean Conundrum
- The New/Old East Asia
- Chapter Three: The Middle East: The Hegemonic Truce
- Truce
- Iran
- The Bomb
- The Arab Spring
- The New/Old Middle East
- Chapter Four: Peace Regained?
- Accident or Precedent?
- Perpetual Peace?
- Universal Democracy?
About the author
Michael Mandelbaum is the Christian A. Herter Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the author of sixteen books, including Mission Failure (Oxford), The Ideas That Conquered the World, The Meaning of Sports, The Frugal Superpower, and That Used To Be Us (with Thomas L. Friedman).
Summary
In the twenty-five years after 1989 the world enjoyed the deepest peace in its history. The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth examines that singular quarter century, describing how and why peace was established and then fell apart. Mandelbaum argues that peace ended because three important countries - Vladimir Putin's Russia in Europe, Xi Jinping's China in East Asia, and the Shia clerics' Iran in the Middle East - put an end to it with aggressive nationalist policies aimed at overturning the prevailing political arrangements in their respective regions. The three had a common motive: a dictatorial regime's need to survive in a democratic age with their prospects for economic growth uncertain. Mandelbaum further argues that the key to a return of peace lies in the advent of genuine democracy, including free elections and the protection of religious, economic, and political liberty. Since democracy cannot be imposed from the outside, The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth has a dual message: the world has a formula for peace, but there is no way to ensure that all countries embrace it.
Additional text
Exceptionally wise, erudite and compelling, Mandelbaum has produced the definitive record of the rise and fall of the 'deep peace.' Masterful in its historical command and judicious in the strategic lessons to be drawn, he offers cause for hope and dismay to advocates of liberal democratic capitalism everywhere. The formula for peace that works best is one the US cannot install where it is needed most. A must-read volume.'
Report
This book addresses the most critical foreign relations question of our times: is the post-Cold War era of peace over and confict resurfacing? Mandelbaum expertly probes the threats and prospects. Azar Gat, Univeristy of Tel Aviv, and author of War in Human Civilization
