The Revenge of Geopolitics

For decades, the framework established during Zbigniew Brzezinski's influential tenure as American grand strategist in the 1980s seemed unshakeable: the triumph over the Soviet Union, the rise of the Washington Consensus, and the third wave of democracy spreading across the globe. Yet today, we witness the revenge of geopolitics as these three pillars face unprecedented challenges.

How is Donald Trump's presidency accelerating the unraveling of this post-Cold War order? Why are authoritarian models gaining ground while liberal democracy retreats? What were the underlying currents of change already transforming America that made Trump's rise not just possible, but perhaps inevitable? Why are major global superpowers locked in rivalry again when global trade was supposed to bring us together?

Through the lens of Brzezinski's legacy and the current geopolitical upheaval, the acclaimed journalist Edward Luce examines how the very success of the American-led order may have contained the seeds of its own transformation, in conversation with Sanjay Ruparelia.

About the series:

On the Frontlines of Democracy is a public lecture series to analyze the trajectory of democracy in the twenty-first century. In every region, the prospects of democracy face serious challenges, old and new. Can we protect constitutional rights and renew collective self-rule in an era of popular mistrust, severe partisanship and resurgent nationalism? Can they reduce inequalities of power, wealth and status, defend deep diversity and confront climate change in the new digital age? Can we develop innovative strategies to revitalize civic engagement, empower public institutions and resist autocratic threats? And what can we offer, learn and do to promote the prospects of democracy in our increasingly post-western global order?