The Return of History and The End of Dreams by Robert Kagan

(Book Review 4: Finished reading on the 4th of December 2011)

ISBN: 9780307389886

Price: SGD 26.95 (before discount), SGD 10 (after discount)

A delightfully and superbly written book that effectively condenses the foreign policy challenges that the liberal democracies of the world face. It is rather hard to summarise this book for it in itself is a masterpiece at summary, being able to eloquently, elegantly and succinctly put forth a discussion about the political state of the world in 105 pages. An interesting view posited is the author's view of a contest between the world's liberal democracies and the autocratic regimes. He recognises the emergence of a multipolar world, but sees a geopolitical contest emerging between these two blocs, rather like a revised Cold War. I say revised because, as the author acknowledges, the various Great Powers are now deeply economically interlinked (more so in the case of China than Russia perhaps). Instead of looking at the BRICs versus the US and Europe, Kagan sees the democracies of Brazil and India aligning themselves with other liberal democracies. The book also provides a good overview of the transition from the post Cold War era into the New World Order posited by US triumphalism after the US's emergence as the sole remaining superpower into the future of Great Power relationships. Definitely a worthwhile read.