The Age of Unpeace

The "age of unpeace" [is] an apt phrase for an era in which wars between states are uncommon but conflict is endemic... Leonard adroitly captures evolving trends in geopolitics over the past decade... Leonard's argument is all the more compelling because of the way his own beliefs have evolved. * New Statesman *
Thought-provoking... If Leonard is right, then every trade deal or every new technology that brings people closer will also make the world a more dangerous place. * Irish Times *
Leonard is a creative and well-connected thinker, and his timely, insightful book is useful for its explanations of the differing ideological viewpoints found in Beijing, Brussels and Washington, with an interesting section on Chinese thinkers in particular. Just as important, he explains why the conflicts in our global era remain so different from those in the cold war, in particular given the role being played by new technologies from quantum computing to machine learning as a new focus for geopolitical contestation. -- James Crabtree * Financial Times *

Mark Leonard... has been a force in foreign policy thinking for a quarter century... rich in data and anecdote... If you're feeling intellectually disoriented after the fall of Kabul, start here.

-- Matthew d'Ancona, Tortoise
Compulsively readable, Mark Leonard's globe-trotting book not only offers us a fascinating and disturbing panorama, it redefines realism for an age of massive and toxic connectivity. Rather than fleeing into anachronistic visions of grand architecture and Cold War rhetoric, it demands that we face our actual problem. An essential course in geopolitical self-help. -- Adam Tooze, author of Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World
There was a time when we all naively thought that a networked world would be awesome. But, as Mark Leonard argues in The Age of Unpeace, 'The connections that knit the world together are also driving it apart. It is not that the Internet and globalization have led to a war of all against all; more that the distinction between war and peace has broken down. 'Connectivity conflicts' are the signature style of the new 'unpeace', an old Anglo-Saxon word that, as Leonard persuasively argues, nicely describes our new era of financial sanctions, trade wars, infowars and cyberwars. Leonard, once a true believer in the European project, is that rare thing: a public intellectual willing to question his own assumptions and come up with fresh - and often surprising - ideas. If you want to understand the geopolitical significance of Grindr, the gay hook-up app, or the historical consequences of Sun Yatsen's Hawaiian childhood, look no further. -- Niall Ferguson, author of The Square and the Tower and DOOM: The Politics of Catastrophe

We now understand that we live and must live between the duelling utopias of unrestricted globalization and national sovereignty. The task is to make the best of our connections, and here Mark Leonard offers a creative and clarifying way forward.

-- Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny
One of Mark Leonard's great strengths is his sensitivity to the zeitgeist. This book is no exception. Rather than rejecting or ignoring the growing rebellion against connectivity, he accepts it and seeks to find ways of responding to it. The result is a highly readable book packed full of insights and ideas about what needs to be done. -- Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules The World

Mark Leonard has done something extraordinary: written a powerful and persuasive analysis of our 'age of unpeace', in which the three 'empires of connectivity' that define our time-China, the US and Europe-are competing for hegemony by exploiting the very connectedness that ties our world together. This is one of those rare books that defines the terms of our conversation about our times.

-- Michael Ignatieff, President and Rector, Central European University