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The Coming Storm
- Author
- Odd Arne Westad
- Narrator
- Brian Troxell
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Publish Date
- 5 March 2026
- Run Time
- 6 hours 31 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
- Genre
- General and world history, Geopolitics, Peace studies and conflict resolution, Social forecasting, future studies
- Rating
- 3.0 (1 review)
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What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
A prescient, thoughtful and chilling examination of the current state of the world
If there are lessons from history, now is the time when we need to heed them, so that we do not end up in another Great Power war because of the fatal combinations of jingoism, fear, fatalism, and sheer stupidity that set off the first major war of the 20th century.
The great majority of people alive today have come of age in a world of remarkable stability, presided over by either one or two superpowers. This is not to say the world has been peaceful; but it has to an extent been predictable. As an increasing number of Great Powers now jostle for regional supremacy our world has become more fragile, unpredictable – and combustible.
To understand the threats that face us in this complex new terrain, we must look to the lessons of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century – a time when Great Powers clashed and sought regional dominance, when nationalism and populism were on the rise, and many felt that globalization had failed them: a time, in other words, that carries eerie parallels with our own.
© Odd Arne Westad 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
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Fluently written and wide-ranging ... Westad sees danger in the mix of volatile personalities, changing power relationships and emerging technologies
Financial Times
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Westad brings so much erudition, intelligence, and insight to the table. This is a short book on a big subject that will make you think long after you put it down
Fareed Zakaria
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The assessment of the many ways in which the great powers of a hundred years ago went so wrong offers an antidote to the entrenchment and paralysis of imagination that pave the way for the next conflagration ... Westad performs an urgent and inestimable service
Foreign Affairs
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Westad guides us expertly through this current global disorder and its dangers
Irish Times
See more reviews See fewer reviews
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The Coming Storm seeks to make of the current geopolitical chaos by drawing parallels between now and the years before 1914 ... his comparisons are always thought-provoking and often accurate
Spectator
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All the terrible pieces seem to be falling into place ... The Coming Storm is an important book. The writing is clear and concise and the history is critical
Providence
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A passionate and informed warning about the very real prospects today for Great Power war in light of the origins of World War I
Charles S. Maier
User Reviews
Book 3.0
Narration 3.0
-
3.0 3.0
Worth the listen.. a good reminder that war is something we should actively work to avoid and peace is worth the effort. Something that seems to have been forgotten in the past 25 years with the passing of those who remember ww2.
The details and depth is low but maybe it has to be with the bredth of the book. The book moves at a good pace and is an easy listen.hallwiton 2026-06-07
Details
- Author
- Odd Arne Westad
- Narrator
- Brian Troxell
- Duration
- 6 hours 31 minutes
- Release Date
- 5 March 2026
- ISBN
- 9781837313112
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Penguin Books Ltd
- Genre
- General and world history, Geopolitics, Peace studies and conflict resolution, Social forecasting, future studies
- Rating
- 3.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 3.0(1 review)
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin.A prescient, thoughtful and chilling examination of the current state of the worldIf there are lessons from history, now is the time when we need to heed them, so that we do not end up in another Great Power war because of the fatal combinations of jingoism, fear, fatalism, and sheer stupidity that set off the first major war of the 20th century.The great majority of people alive today have come of age in a world of remarkable stability, presided over by either one or two superpowers. This is not to say the world has been peaceful; but it has to an extent been predictable. As an increasing number of Great Powers now jostle for regional supremacy our world has become more fragile, unpredictable – and combustible.To understand the threats that face us in this complex new terrain, we must look to the lessons of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century – a time when Great Powers clashed and sought regional dominance, when nationalism and populism were on the rise, and many felt that globalization had failed them: a time, in other words, that carries eerie parallels with our own.© Odd Arne Westad 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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