Description

A bold new account of Europe’s plight as it faces political fracture, economic stagnation and external challenges from the U.S., China and Russia

Today, Europe finds itself in a fast-changing, polarised world dominated by Chinese-American rivalry. The European Union and its surrounding nonmember states, despite initial successes after the fall of the Berlin Wall, have failed to implement a strategy for success in the twenty-first century. Britain’s exit from the Union has weakened both sides, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown these shortcomings into sharp relief. How should states across the continent position themselves in the decades to come?

Drawing on unpublished archives and interviews with over 150 leading figures, David Marsh investigates Europe’s present crisis, from the march of populism, Franco-German malaise, and the breakdown of relations with Putin’s Russia. Fault lines are emerging in the monetary union, while the fight against climate change has impacted growth. Facing its gravest test since the Second World War, Europe must find fresh reserves of resilience-and seek out renewed international partnerships to ensure success.

Publisher Review

“A privilege to read.”-Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

“A rare balance of understanding between the people, the politics and the economics.”-Philip Zelikow, author of The Road Less Traveled

“David Marsh is the ideal author to point us to the dangers confronting Europe and the ways forward.”-Lord Meghnad Desai, author of The Poverty of Political Economy

“David Marsh has once again proven his unique talent for decoding the hidden architecture of European and global monetary power.”-Natacha Valla, Dean, School of Management and Innovation, Sciences Po

“A bleak, minutely researched and persuasive analysis of the ‘tide of adversity’ that has brought Europe to its present pass.”-Philip Short, author of Putin: His Life and Times

“A masterly account.”-Lord Norman Lamont, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer

“A masterpiece-full of precious insights.”-Jacques de Larosiere, former Managing Director, IMF, and former Governor, Banque de France

“A magisterial account of Europe’s variable geometry.”-Anne Simpson, Global Head of Sustainability, Franklin Templeton

“A magnificent book.”-Charles Goodhart, co-author of The Great Demographic Reversal

“Persistently iconoclastic and interesting.”-Harold James, author of Seven Crashes

“A tour de force.”-Lord David Owen, former British Foreign Secretary

“There is no better guide.”-Lord Mervyn King, former Governor, Bank of England

“A bracing, clear-eyed account of a continent at a crossroads.”-Edward Fishman, author of Chokepoints