The Power of Crisis: How Three Threats—and Our Response—Will Change the World

Political scientist Bremmer (Us vs. Them) returns with an intriguing, historically grounded analysis of contemporary geopolitics. Spotlighting the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, and the rise of artificial intelligence, Bremmer looks to history for examples of how the U.S., China, and other global powers should respond to these and other crises. He finds cause for optimism in the post-WWII Marshall Plan, when the U.S. invested its own resources into rebuilding western Europe and, in the process, created a durable anti-Communist political coalition. Stressing the importance of sharing the burden, Bremmer calls for global cooperation and investment; for example, his “Green Marshall Plan” features multinational investment in renewable energy and green jobs, and a “global agreement” to help resettle people displaced by climate change. Bremmer also expresses concern about the outsourcing of human crisis management to the private sector and calls for governments to accept “the need to help those less fortunate in their countries with strengthened social safety nets, guaranteed basic income, among other ideas.” Though the roadmap for reaching international consensus remains hazy, Bremmer packs the book with enlightening historical examples and sharp analysis of contemporary data. The result is a well-informed look at how “necessity must now become the mother of cooperation.” (May)