In this sweeping survey of global geopolitics in flux, Cohen-Tanugi (An Alliance at Risk
) announces the end of the “Atlantic Era,” prophesying that Western powers are in decline, soon to be overtaken by China, India and Brazil, the economic powerhouses “driving world growth.” According to the author, the U.S. has lost its credibility with the catastrophic bungling of the invasion of Iraq, and despite the euro getting stronger, Europe itself is not; national interests prevail, as is evident from the French and Dutch rejection of a constitutional treaty for the E.U. Cohen-Tanugi covers well-trod ground, and too often his analysis reads like a summary of the latest headlines. A competent primer for a seminar on contemporary international relations, the book does offer some predictions and suggestions for actors in the new world order. The author regards Asia and the Middle East as the 21st century’s potential battlegrounds and believes the U.S. and Europe still have a vital role to play in striving to preserve “democratic values and the stability of the world,” thereby influencing geopolitics even as their stature and alliances shift. (Aug.)
