A history, an analysis, and a set of prescriptions for the greatest geopolitical challenge of our time: the threat to the democratic world posed by China and Russia." Anne Applebaum, author of Autocracy, Inc.
"A monumental account of contemporary geopolitics"Francis Fukuyama, author of Liberalism and Its Discontents
From New York Times bestselling author and former ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul comes a bold, clear-eyed look at how the autocracies of China and Russia are challenging the current global order, and how Americas future depends on successfully confronting this threat.
The rise of China, Russias invasion of Ukraine, and the reelection of President Donald Trump have reinforced a gloomy yet growing consensus: the old global order has ended, and a new Cold War has begun. And yet, many of the perils we face today are distinctly different from those we encountered from the Soviet Union. The alliance between the autocracies of China and Russia, Chinas economic might, the rise of the far right in the United States and Europe, and the disturbing isolationist foreign policy shifts of the Trump administrationtaken together represent new challenges for the democratic world. They are threats with no precedent in the past century.
In this sweeping account of great power competition between the United States, China, and Russia over the past three centuries, Michael McFaulformer ambassador to Russia and international affairs analyst for NBC Newsargues persuasively that todays challenges require fresh thinking, not constrained by distant memories of the Cold War or the nationalist dreams of MAGA. One of the preeminent thinkers on American foreign policy for decades, McFaul combines in-depth historical analysis with a forward-looking perspective, crafting a new grand strategy for America in this age of global disorder. Acknowledging how Xis China, Putins Russia, and Trumps America are upending the current international system, Autocrats vs. Democrats makes the case against Americas retreat from the world, detailing why:
Russias disruptive ambitions should not be underestimated.
Chinas capabilities should not be overestimated.
Trumps shift toward isolationism and autocracy will weaken Americas place in the world.
At once a clarion call for American diplomacy and a forceful rebuttal of the Trump administrations policies, Autocrats vs. Democrats provides a nuanced assessment of the China and Russia threats, as well as a bold vision for renewing Americas leadership on the world stage.
