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The End of Power
by Moisés Naím • 2013
Power is crumbling everywhere at once. The three hidden forces dismantling every hierarchy.
3.63
4k+
The End of Power Summary
The End of Power 90%
Power is crumbling everywhere at once. The three hidden forces dismantling every hierarchy.
by Moisés Naím 2013
3.63
4k+ ratings
The Next Civil War
by Stephen Marche • 2022
One in four Americans support secession. A journalist models the scenarios that could tip the rest.
3.68
2k+
The Next Civil War Summary
The Next Civil War 90%
One in four Americans support secession. A journalist models the scenarios that could tip the rest.
by Stephen Marche 2022
3.68
2k+ ratings
Lights Out
by Ted Koppel • 2015
A grid cyberattack could kill most Americans in a year; no agency has a plan.
3.71
6k+
Lights Out Summary
Lights Out 90%
A grid cyberattack could kill most Americans in a year; no agency has a plan.
by Ted Koppel 2015
3.71
6k+ ratings
The Ends of the Earth
by Robert D. Kaplan • 1996
Rivers and soil shape nations more than constitutions. A journey to the frontiers where states fail.
4.11
2k+
The Ends of the Earth Summary
The Ends of the Earth 89%
Rivers and soil shape nations more than constitutions. A journey to the frontiers where states fail.
by Robert D. Kaplan 1996
4.11
2k+ ratings
States and Power in Africa
by Jeffrey Herbst • 2000
Europe built states through war. Africa skipped that step, and its borders now protect failure.
3.99
269
States and Power in Africa Summary
States and Power in Africa 89%
Europe built states through war. Africa skipped that step, and its borders now protect failure.
by Jeffrey Herbst 2000
3.99
269 ratings
The Horn of Africa
by Christopher Clapham • 2017
Africa's only region never fully colonized produced border wars bloodier than any colonial map did.
3.89
54
The Horn of Africa Summary
The Horn of Africa 89%
Africa's only region never fully colonized produced border wars bloodier than any colonial map did.
by Christopher Clapham 2017
3.89
54 ratings
End Times
by Peter Turchin • 2023
Ten millennia of data point to two conditions for state collapse. America now meets both.
4.06
3k+
End Times Summary
End Times 89%
Ten millennia of data point to two conditions for state collapse. America now meets both.
by Peter Turchin 2023
4.06
3k+ ratings
Waste Land
by Robert D. Kaplan • 2025
When crises travel instantly but solutions stall at borders, we get one unending emergency.
3.60
972
Waste Land Summary
Waste Land 89%
When crises travel instantly but solutions stall at borders, we get one unending emergency.
by Robert D. Kaplan 2025
3.60
972 ratings
Legitimacy in Liberal Democracies
by Benjamin M. Studebaker • 2024
Democracies survive today not by solving problems but by multiplying stories about why they can't.
4.60
15
Legitimacy in Liberal Democracies Summary
Legitimacy in Liberal Democracies 89%
Democracies survive today not by solving problems but by multiplying stories about why they can't.
by Benjamin M. Studebaker 2024
4.60
15 ratings
The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority
by Martin Gurri • 2014
The digital revolution gave the public the power to destroy institutions but not to replace them.
4.19
2k+
The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority Summary
The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority 89%
The digital revolution gave the public the power to destroy institutions but not to replace them.
by Martin Gurri 2014
4.19
2k+ ratings
Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse
by William Neuman • 2022
How a nation sitting on the world's largest oil reserves starved its own people.
4.13
1k+
Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse Summary
Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse 89%
How a nation sitting on the world's largest oil reserves starved its own people.
by William Neuman 2022
4.13
1k+ ratings
After the Fall
by Ben Rhodes • 2022
America's post-Cold War mistakes taught the world's authoritarians how to dismantle democracy.
4.15
157
After the Fall Summary
After the Fall 89%
America's post-Cold War mistakes taught the world's authoritarians how to dismantle democracy.
by Ben Rhodes 2022
4.15
157 ratings
Upheaval
by Jared Diamond • 2019
Crisis therapy adapted to nations: six countries reveal which recoveries work, why America's next.
3.90
12k+
Upheaval Summary
Upheaval 89%
Crisis therapy adapted to nations: six countries reveal which recoveries work, why America's next.
by Jared Diamond 2019
3.90
12k+ ratings
Autocracy, Inc.
by Anne Applebaum • 2024
A global network of dictators runs autocracies like for-profit firms. Democracies bankroll them.
4.16
19k+
Autocracy, Inc. Summary
Autocracy, Inc. 89%
A global network of dictators runs autocracies like for-profit firms. Democracies bankroll them.
by Anne Applebaum 2024
4.16
19k+ ratings
The Loom of Time
by Robert D. Kaplan • 2023
The Middle East was shaped for empire, not democracy. The West still refuses to believe it.
4.27
553
The Loom of Time Summary
The Loom of Time 89%
The Middle East was shaped for empire, not democracy. The West still refuses to believe it.
by Robert D. Kaplan 2023
4.27
553 ratings
The Management of Savagery
by Max Blumenthal • 2019
Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Trump: three products of the same American national security machine.
4.29
807
The Management of Savagery Summary
The Management of Savagery 89%
Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Trump: three products of the same American national security machine.
by Max Blumenthal 2019
4.29
807 ratings
Democracy
by Charles Tilly • 2007
Democracy isn't a finish line. Three processes build it; elites can tear them down much faster.
3.64
173
Democracy Summary
Democracy 89%
Democracy isn't a finish line. Three processes build it; elites can tear them down much faster.
by Charles Tilly 2007
3.64
173 ratings
Civil War Two
by Thomas W. Chittum • 1996
The next civil war will be ethnic, three-sided, and far more brutal than the first.
3.55
112
Civil War Two Summary
Civil War Two 89%
The next civil war will be ethnic, three-sided, and far more brutal than the first.
by Thomas W. Chittum 1996
3.55
112 ratings
Democracy
by Hans-Hermann Hoppe • 2001
A king owns the country and thinks in decades. Elected leaders just need four years.
4.13
3k+
Democracy Summary
Democracy 88%
A king owns the country and thinks in decades. Elected leaders just need four years.
by Hans-Hermann Hoppe 2001
4.13
3k+ ratings
Suicide of a Superpower
by Patrick J. Buchanan • 2011
America didn't fall; it jumped. The ideas shredding it are its own choices, not enemy blows.
4.05
844
Suicide of a Superpower Summary
Suicide of a Superpower 88%
America didn't fall; it jumped. The ideas shredding it are its own choices, not enemy blows.
by Patrick J. Buchanan 2011
4.05
844 ratings
The Bottom Billion
by Paul Collier • 2007
Four traps keep a billion people poor, and the usual remedies only tighten them.
3.85
8k+
The Bottom Billion Summary
The Bottom Billion 88%
Four traps keep a billion people poor, and the usual remedies only tighten them.
by Paul Collier 2007
3.85
8k+ ratings
Political Order and Political Decay
by Francis Fukuyama • 2014
Build democracy before the state, and politics becomes clientelism, not good government.
4.34
5k+
Political Order and Political Decay Summary
Political Order and Political Decay 88%
Build democracy before the state, and politics becomes clientelism, not good government.
by Francis Fukuyama 2014
4.34
5k+ ratings
The Storm Before the Calm
by George Friedman • 2020
Every eighty years America's government breaks; every fifty, its economy. Now both arrive at once.
4.05
3k+
The Storm Before the Calm Summary
The Storm Before the Calm 88%
Every eighty years America's government breaks; every fifty, its economy. Now both arrive at once.
by George Friedman 2020
4.05
3k+ ratings
An Economy and a State for Lebanon
by Charbel Nahas • 2020
Behind Lebanon's crisis: a currency illusion, a sectarian spoils system, and a generation that fled.
4.33
15
An Economy and a State for Lebanon Summary
An Economy and a State for Lebanon 88%
Behind Lebanon's crisis: a currency illusion, a sectarian spoils system, and a generation that fled.
by Charbel Nahas 2020
4.33
15 ratings
What's the Worst That Could Happen?
by Andrew Leigh • 2021
A one in six chance of extinction this century. The cause is not technology but politics.
3.81
53
What's the Worst That Could Happen? Summary
What's the Worst That Could Happen? 88%
A one in six chance of extinction this century. The cause is not technology but politics.
by Andrew Leigh 2021
3.81
53 ratings
Political Tribes
by Amy Chua • 2018
Vietnam, Iraq, and now America: the tribal instinct that loses wars is consuming us at home.
4.20
4k+
Political Tribes Summary
Political Tribes 88%
Vietnam, Iraq, and now America: the tribal instinct that loses wars is consuming us at home.
by Amy Chua 2018
4.20
4k+ ratings
La défaite de l'Occident
by Emmanuel Todd • 2024
The Ukraine war exposed not Russian power but a hollowed-out West in terminal decline.
3.96
685
La défaite de l'Occident Summary
La défaite de l'Occident 88%
The Ukraine war exposed not Russian power but a hollowed-out West in terminal decline.
by Emmanuel Todd 2024
3.96
685 ratings
War and Change in World Politics
by Robert Gilpin • 1999
International order never lasts. Uneven growth among states eventually demands a reset by war.
3.97
362
War and Change in World Politics Summary
War and Change in World Politics 88%
International order never lasts. Uneven growth among states eventually demands a reset by war.
by Robert Gilpin 1999
3.97
362 ratings
Pakistan
by Anatol Lieven • 2011
Why Pakistan outlasts every prediction of its collapse: kinship, not government, runs the country.
4.12
2k+
Pakistan Summary
Pakistan 88%
Why Pakistan outlasts every prediction of its collapse: kinship, not government, runs the country.
by Anatol Lieven 2011
4.12
2k+ ratings
Gambling on Development
by Stefan Dercon • 2022
Elite bets on growth, not aid or policy, explain why some nations prosper and others stall.
4.02
275
Gambling on Development Summary
Gambling on Development 88%
Elite bets on growth, not aid or policy, explain why some nations prosper and others stall.
by Stefan Dercon 2022
4.02
275 ratings
Anti-Tech Revolution
by Theodore John Kaczynski • 2016
The technological world system is a self-driving machine no one steers and nothing stops.
3.95
630
Anti-Tech Revolution Summary
Anti-Tech Revolution 88%
The technological world system is a self-driving machine no one steers and nothing stops.
by Theodore John Kaczynski 2016
3.95
630 ratings
Trumpocracy
by David Frum • 2018
American democracy didn't fall; it was hollowed out by lies and a party that looked away.
3.88
4k+
Trumpocracy Summary
Trumpocracy 88%
American democracy didn't fall; it was hollowed out by lies and a party that looked away.
by David Frum 2018
3.88
4k+ ratings
Brazil Is the New America
by James Dale Davidson • 2012
The math of debt, energy, and demography says the American era ends and Brazil's begins.
3.17
36
Brazil Is the New America Summary
Brazil Is the New America 88%
The math of debt, energy, and demography says the American era ends and Brazil's begins.
by James Dale Davidson 2012
3.17
36 ratings
Decline and Fall
by John Michael Greer • 2014
Empires are wealth pumps. America's runs on oil, nearly dry. The collapse cycle is inevitable.
4.29
156
Decline and Fall Summary
Decline and Fall 88%
Empires are wealth pumps. America's runs on oil, nearly dry. The collapse cycle is inevitable.
by John Michael Greer 2014
4.29
156 ratings
The Pirates of Somalia
by Jay Bahadur • 2011
On a rattling Soviet plane, a journalist lands in Somalia to find the pirates everyone fears.
3.56
1k+
The Pirates of Somalia Summary
The Pirates of Somalia 88%
On a rattling Soviet plane, a journalist lands in Somalia to find the pirates everyone fears.
by Jay Bahadur 2011
3.56
1k+ ratings
In Mistrust We Trust
by Ivan Krastev • 2013
More rights, more information, less collective power: the paradox at the heart of modern democracy.
3.96
73
In Mistrust We Trust Summary
In Mistrust We Trust 88%
More rights, more information, less collective power: the paradox at the heart of modern democracy.
by Ivan Krastev 2013
3.96
73 ratings
The Future of Violence
by Benjamin Wittes • 2014
The state's monopoly on violence is ending. Networked technology handed individuals strategic power.
3.42
318
The Future of Violence Summary
The Future of Violence 88%
The state's monopoly on violence is ending. Networked technology handed individuals strategic power.
by Benjamin Wittes 2014
3.42
318 ratings
How Civil Wars Start
by Barbara F. Walter • 2022
America is now an anocracy, the regime type three times likelier to fracture into civil war.
4.24
6k+
How Civil Wars Start Summary
How Civil Wars Start 88%
America is now an anocracy, the regime type three times likelier to fracture into civil war.
by Barbara F. Walter 2022
4.24
6k+ ratings
After the Fall
by Ben Rhodes • 2021
The foreign policy that won the Cold War ended up arming the next generation of dictators.
4.19
5k+
After the Fall Summary
After the Fall 88%
The foreign policy that won the Cold War ended up arming the next generation of dictators.
by Ben Rhodes 2021
4.19
5k+ ratings
The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival
by John Bagot Glubb • 1978
Ten generations: energy, conquest, affluence, decay. The West is running out of time.
4.21
751
The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival Summary
The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival 88%
Ten generations: energy, conquest, affluence, decay. The West is running out of time.
by John Bagot Glubb 1978
4.21
751 ratings
Surrender or Starve
by Robert D. Kaplan • 1988
A Marxist regime weaponized famine in Ethiopia. The West's life-saving aid also financed the war.
3.67
474
Surrender or Starve Summary
Surrender or Starve 88%
A Marxist regime weaponized famine in Ethiopia. The West's life-saving aid also financed the war.
by Robert D. Kaplan 1988
3.67
474 ratings
The Last American President
by Thom Hartmann • 2025
Billionaire money, racial grievance, cruel politics: how the GOP became an authoritarian machine.
4.48
321
The Last American President Summary
The Last American President 88%
Billionaire money, racial grievance, cruel politics: how the GOP became an authoritarian machine.
by Thom Hartmann 2025
4.48
321 ratings
Ungoverning
by Nancy L. Rosenblum • 2024
Shrinking government is one thing. Breaking it on purpose is another.
3.79
90
Ungoverning Summary
Ungoverning 88%
Shrinking government is one thing. Breaking it on purpose is another.
by Nancy L. Rosenblum 2024
3.79
90 ratings
Pakistan on the Brink
by Ahmed Rashid • 2012
The Afghan war cannot be won without confronting the deeper crisis inside Pakistan.
3.78
910
Pakistan on the Brink Summary
Pakistan on the Brink 88%
The Afghan war cannot be won without confronting the deeper crisis inside Pakistan.
by Ahmed Rashid 2012
3.78
910 ratings
Enough Already
by Scott Horton • 2021
9/11 was a trap, and the War on Terror was the overreaction al Qaeda had counted on.
4.61
699
Enough Already Summary
Enough Already 88%
9/11 was a trap, and the War on Terror was the overreaction al Qaeda had counted on.
by Scott Horton 2021
4.61
699 ratings
Colossus
by Niall Ferguson • 2004
America has always been an empire. Refusing to admit it is the root of its failures.
3.58
2k+
Colossus Summary
Colossus 88%
America has always been an empire. Refusing to admit it is the root of its failures.
by Niall Ferguson 2004
3.58
2k+ ratings
Fiasco
by Thomas E. Ricks • 2006
A year planning the invasion, zero for the peace: how ideology and hubris lost Iraq.
4.09
8k+
Fiasco Summary
Fiasco 88%
A year planning the invasion, zero for the peace: how ideology and hubris lost Iraq.
by Thomas E. Ricks 2006
4.09
8k+ ratings
The Development of the Modern State
by Gianfranco Poggi • 1978
How the modern state, from feudalism to liberalism, created its own crisis of legitimacy.
3.48
86
The Development of the Modern State Summary
The Development of the Modern State 88%
How the modern state, from feudalism to liberalism, created its own crisis of legitimacy.
by Gianfranco Poggi 1978
3.48
86 ratings
The Dictator's Handbook
by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita • 2011
All politics comes down to one number: how many backers a leader must satisfy to survive.
4.25
11k+
The Dictator's Handbook Summary
The Dictator's Handbook 88%
All politics comes down to one number: how many backers a leader must satisfy to survive.
by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita 2011
4.25
11k+ ratings
The Hell of Good Intentions
by Stephen M. Walt • 2018
After the Cold War, America tried to lead the world. It overreached, failed, and learned nothing.
4.01
735
The Hell of Good Intentions Summary
The Hell of Good Intentions 88%
After the Cold War, America tried to lead the world. It overreached, failed, and learned nothing.
by Stephen M. Walt 2018
4.01
735 ratings
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