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The Blurb On The Back:
Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, world peace is at risk again. The President of the United States has withdrawn from the disarmament treaty with Russia, Europe is disintegrating, China is surging forward and a wave of nationalism and populism is destabilising established political institutions and endangering hard-won liberties. Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic has brought into sharp relief the fragility of the global order and the speed with which it can slide into chaos.
In view of this dangerous and unpredictable state of affairs, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last great statesman of the 1989 revolution, has written this short book to warn us of the grave risks we now face and to urge us all, political leaders and citizens alike, to take action to address them. He focuses on the big challenges of our time, such as the renewal of the arms race and the growing risks of nuclear war, the new tension between Russia and the West, the global environmental crisis, the global threat of diseases and epidemics, the rise of populism and the decline of democracy. He argues that self-serving policies and narrow-minded politics aimed at the pursuit of national interests are taking the place of political principles and overshadowing the vision of a free and just world for all peoples. He offers his view of where Russia is heading and he urges political leaders in the West to recognise that re-establishing trust between Russia and the West requires the courage of true leadership and a commitment to genuine dialogue and understanding on both sides.
Now more than ever, the responses to the great challenges we face cannot be purely national in character but must be based on a collaborative effort in which political leaders put aside their differences and work together to advance the human security for all.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in reducing nuclear weapons and improving world peace. This book (translated from Russian by Jessica Spengler) is a short, shallow summary of the current crises facing the world (including nuclear armament, global warming, and the rise of populism) but lacks insight, practical answers and defends Russian aggression with ‘what-aboutism’.
WHAT IS AT STAKE NOW was released in the United Kingdom on 18th September 2020. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Thirty years after the end of the Cold War, world peace is at risk again. The President of the United States has withdrawn from the disarmament treaty with Russia, Europe is disintegrating, China is surging forward and a wave of nationalism and populism is destabilising established political institutions and endangering hard-won liberties. Moreover, the coronavirus pandemic has brought into sharp relief the fragility of the global order and the speed with which it can slide into chaos.
In view of this dangerous and unpredictable state of affairs, Mikhail Gorbachev, the last great statesman of the 1989 revolution, has written this short book to warn us of the grave risks we now face and to urge us all, political leaders and citizens alike, to take action to address them. He focuses on the big challenges of our time, such as the renewal of the arms race and the growing risks of nuclear war, the new tension between Russia and the West, the global environmental crisis, the global threat of diseases and epidemics, the rise of populism and the decline of democracy. He argues that self-serving policies and narrow-minded politics aimed at the pursuit of national interests are taking the place of political principles and overshadowing the vision of a free and just world for all peoples. He offers his view of where Russia is heading and he urges political leaders in the West to recognise that re-establishing trust between Russia and the West requires the courage of true leadership and a commitment to genuine dialogue and understanding on both sides.
Now more than ever, the responses to the great challenges we face cannot be purely national in character but must be based on a collaborative effort in which political leaders put aside their differences and work together to advance the human security for all.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in reducing nuclear weapons and improving world peace. This book (translated from Russian by Jessica Spengler) is a short, shallow summary of the current crises facing the world (including nuclear armament, global warming, and the rise of populism) but lacks insight, practical answers and defends Russian aggression with ‘what-aboutism’.
WHAT IS AT STAKE NOW was released in the United Kingdom on 18th September 2020. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
