The
World: A Brief Introduction
by Richard Haass
Read or Download at: http://best.ebookcollection.space/?book=0399562397
An
invaluable primer from Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign
Relations, that will help anyone, expert and non-expert alike, navigate a time
in which many of our biggest challenges come from the world beyond our borders.
Like it or not, we live in a
global era, in which what happens thousands of miles away has the ability to
affect our lives. This time, it is a Coronavirus known as Covid-19, which
originated in a Chinese city many had never heard of but has spread to the
corners of the earth. Next time it could well be another infectious disease
from somewhere else. Twenty years ago it was a group of terrorists trained in
Afghanistan and armed with box-cutters who commandeered four airplanes and flew
them into buildings (and in one case a field) and claimed nearly three thousand
lives. Next time it could be terrorists who use a truck bomb or gain access to
a weapon of mass destruction. In 2016 hackers in a nondescript office building
in Russia traveled virtually in cyberspace to manipulate America's elections.
Now they have burrowed into our political life. In recent years, severe
hurricanes and large fires linked to climate change have ravaged parts of the
earth; in the future we can anticipate even more serious natural disasters. In
2008, it was a global financial crisis caused by mortgage-backed securities in
America, but one day it could well be a financial contagion originating in
Europe, Asia, or Africa. This is the new normal of the 21st century.
The World is designed to
provide readers of any age and experience with the essential background and
building blocks they need to make sense of this complicated and interconnected
world. It will empower them to manage the flood of daily news. Readers will
become more informed, discerning citizens, better able to arrive at sound,
independent judgments. While it is impossible to predict what the next crisis
will be or where it will originate, those who read The World will have what
they need to understand its basics and the principal choices for how to
respond.
In short, this book will make
readers more globally literate and put them in a position to make sense of this
era. Global literacy--knowing how the world works--is a must, as what goes on
outside a country matters enormously to what happens inside. Although the
United States is bordered by two oceans, those oceans are not moats. And the
so-called Vegas rule--what happens there stays there--does not apply in today's
world to anyone anywhere. U.S. foreign policy is uniquely American, but the
world Americans seek to shape is not. Globalization can be both good and bad,
but it is not something that individuals or countries can opt out of. Even if
we want to ignore the world, it will not ignore us. The choice we face is how
to respond.
We are connected to this world
in all sorts of ways. We need to better understand it, both its promise and its
threats, in order to make informed choices, be it as students, citizens,
voters, parents, employees, or investors. To help readers do just that, The
World focuses on essential history, what makes each region of the world tick,
the many challenges globalization presents, and the most influential countries,
events, and ideas. Explaining complex ideas with wisdom and clarity, Richard
Haass's The World is an evergreen book that will remain relevant and useful as
history continues to unfold.
Product
details
Hardcover : 400 pages
Publisher : Penguin Press;
Brief edition (May 12, 2020)
Language : English
ISBN-10 : 0399562397
ISBN-13 : 978-0399562396
Product Dimensions : 5.9 x 1.2 x 8.6 inches
