Beyond doomsday scenarios about a catastrophic coming great power war, a new book examines how the world can help avert conflict in the coming years.
WonkCount: 1,216 words (~6 minutes)
Review: Coming Storm Great Power Warning in US-China Future
Context
“[H]e’s behaved reasonably well, and we behave reasonably well,“ U.S. President Donald Trump noted recently when asked about President Xi Jinping’s China and its ties with Iran amid new round of speculation on the logistics of the upcoming round of U.S.-China summitry1. The comments placed a focus on a coming datapoint on the state of ties among the two powers and implications for regions such as Southeast Asia alongside wider global issues including artificial intelligence and Middle East conflict2.
Select Key Recent Global and Indo-Pacific Geopolitical Developments
A new book The Coming Storm by scholar Odd Arne Westad examines how the world could potentially help avert great power conflict in the coming years beyond doomsday scenarios about a catastrophic coming great power war3. In doing so, it adds to a number of new books which have sought to shed light on the evolving future world order and the stakes at play for Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific, including some recent ones we have reviewed on ASEAN Wonk. “If we want to avoid war, we have to prepare for how to avoid it,” the book notes before charting out how this could be accomplished4.
Analysis
The book also highlights key policy datapoints and implications (see originally-generated ASEAN Wonk table below for a summary of important contours. Paying subscribers can also read the rest of the “Analysis” section and “Implications” section looking at how these dynamics play out in the future).
Policy Significance And Implications, Along With Suggested Major Tendencies And Key Aspects
