The Return of the Great Powers by Brendan Simms - ISBN: 9781399816953
Paperback
Great powers have returned. Understand their history, shape the future.

The Return of the Great Powers

$28.00

  • Paperback

    480 pages

  • Release Date

    2 June 2026

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Summary

From an acclaimed historian, a sweeping study of the past, present, and future of the Great Powers, revealing the new rules of global leadership.

From the dawn of the modern era to the end of the Cold War, global history was defined by rivalries between great powers. In the West, this meant the struggle for supremacy in Europe and the Americas, while in the East, it encompassed those vying for control over the successor states to Genghis Khan’s empire. Between 1989 and the year 2000, …

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781399816953
ISBN-10:1399816950
Author:Brendan Simms, Mike Cooper
Publisher:John Murray Press
Imprint:Basic Books
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:480
Release Date:2 June 2026
Weight:580g
Dimensions:232mm x 154mm x 40mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Exceedingly timely and very compelling – General David Petraeus, former director of the CIA
Wide-ranging and provocative – Fiona Hill, author of THERE IS NOTHING FOR YOU HERE
Very, very occasionally a history book is written that shines powerful light on the state of contemporary geopolitics, and makes sense of a process that has been hiding in plain sight. The Return of the Great Powers, with its profound perceptions about the present in the light of the past, is just such a work – Andrew Roberts, author of CHURCHILL
A magisterial survey of the post-Cold War era, the rise and decline of the Liberal International Order, and the return of Great Power competition … Highly recommended - a “must read” – Laurie Bristow, former UK ambassador to Afghanistan and Russia
Simms is one of the most knowledgeable and formidable analysts of how the Great Powers will shape the new order. Drawing on a breathtaking range of historical examples and brilliant geopolitical analysis, this book is a powerful guide to a fast-changing world – Rana Mitter, Harvard Kennedy School
Timely … thought-provoking – Financial Times
This bracing tour d’horizon of the once and future world order, although aimed at the informed layman, is well worth reading … Simms has done much to rescue the reputation of geopolitical writing – The Times

About The Author

Brendan Simms

Brendan Simms is a professor in the history of international relations and fellow at Peterhouse College, Cambridge. He is the author of eight previous books, including Hitler’s American Gamble and Europe. He lives in Cambridge, UK.

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