Will I love The Lost Peace?

There is a consensus among Western elites that the post-Cold War order is over and that a new order is emerging. Richard Sakwa’s book, with an intellectually rich yet accessible writing style, helps readers understand how, in only three decades–nothing in the whole history of the world and a short time from an international order perspective–we have moved from the announcement of the end of history and a new world order to the unraveling of it.

Sakwa argues that the years following the end of the Cold War did not represent a lasting accord between great powers and that the… show more.

Sakwa’s book represents an excellent and well-written discussion of the historical reasons why the US lost peace in the aftermath of the “first” Cold War. Sakwa’s critique deals with the geostrategic and political-economic issues that have led Russia and China to challenge US global hegemony.

He examines why Moscow opposed US policy toward Ukraine (before the 2022 invasion), European policies, the new arms race, and the history of the Russian turn to Eurasianism. Sakwa likewise discusses why Moscow and Beijing forged a much tighter defense and political-economic relationship during the “second” Cold War.