The New Cold War

One of the worlds most seasoned international relations experts updates and revises his far-sighted 1999 book arguing that the Cold War did not, in fact, end with the collapse of the USSR and that the US, Russia and China today are locked anew in a spiral of hostilities.

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, warnings about a new Cold War proliferated. In fact, argues Gilbert Achcar, the New Cold War has been ongoing since the turn of the century. Racing to solidify its position in the 1990s as the last remaining superpower, the US alienated Russia and China, pushing them closer and rebooting the old Cold War with disastrous implications. Vladimir Putins consequent rise and imperialist reinvention, along with Xi Jinpings own ascendancy and increasingly autocratic tendencies, would, respectively, culminate in the murderous invasion of Ukraine and mounting tensions over Taiwan and trade. Was all this inevitable? Will these three world powers permanent readiness to war write the story of the twenty-first century? What comes after Ukraine? What might the contours of a more peaceful world look like? These questions and many others are addressed in this essential book by one of the most astute and seasoned analysts of international relations.

Autorentext

Gilbert Achcar is Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at SOAS, University of London. His other works include Perilous Power: The Middle East and US Foreign Policy (with Noam Chomsky), The Arabs and the Holocaust and The People Want: A Radical Exploration of the Arab Uprising.

Klappentext

With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, warnings of a new Cold War proliferated. In fact, argues Gilbert Achcar in this timely new account, the New Cold War has been ongoing since the late 1990s.Racing to solidify its position as the last remaining superpower, the US alienated Russia and China, pushing them closer and rebooting the 'old' Cold War with disastrous implications. Vladimir Putin's consequent rise and imperialist reinvention, along with Xi Jinping's own ascendancy and increasingly autocratic tendencies, would culminate, respectively, in the invasion of Ukraine and mounting tensions over Taiwan and trade.Was all this inevitable? What comes after Ukraine, and what might the contours of a more peaceful world look like? These questions and many others are addressed in this essential book by one of the most seasoned analysts of international relations.