Peter R. Neumann, The New World Disorder.

- I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It's absolutely brilliant on every level, as well as being superbly written in crystal clear prose. It has been translated from the original German by journalist David Shaw, and it's rare that translations are this good. Neumann is currently Professor of Security Studies at King's College London and is an internationally sought-after expert on terrorism and geopolitics. 

- The triumph of the West had seemed unstoppable not that long ago...but now the West is under pressure, and it has only itself to blame. Over the last thirty years, through a mixture of naïveté and arrogance, it has lost its global advantage. Today's challenges are profound: the rise of China, climate change, and the polarisation of society. (back cover blurb)

- As a reader I'm an obsessive underliner. Sentences that encapsulate fundamental insights and meanings demand to be remembered. While reading this book I virtually underlined every paragraph. 

- Neumann's chapters on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are magnificent. He condemns the profound ignorance and naiveté of the US and its conservative commentators. The 9/11 attacks showed that the West was vulnerable; the wars in the Middle East exposed the limits of its military power, and the collapse of the financial markets revealed the contradictions inherent in its economic model. 

- He also obliterates Putin and puts his war on Ukraine into perspective. Putin's a posturing Eurasianist with the power fantasies of a populist imperialist.  

- He's also excellent on the creation of the EU and the disaster of Brexit. And quite pessimistic on the world's dismal failure to address the challenges of climate change. 

- In summary, this is a book that deserves to be widely read. I hope it becomes an international bestseller.