Description

In the 19th century, the British and Russian empires battled for primacy in Central Asia, in a multi-decade struggle that became known as ‘The Great Game’. The territorial lines drawn across Persia, Afghanistan, Tibet and India over this time defined the geopolitics and economics of the next century. Today, there is a new Great Game being played not in Central Asia, or even in modern hot zones like Ukraine, Gaza, or the South China Seas, but rather in the frigid waters of the Arctic. Dominance in this region will be crucial to control of the entire Western hemisphere.

America, which has always been an Arctic nation, but only peripherally so, must now face the fact that Russia and China together are challenging its territorial primacy in the Western Hemisphere. Can America wrest back enough maritime capacity and control to counter Beijing? What will happen if it can’t? These are two of the many crucial questions Sea Change strives to answer.

Publisher Review

‘This book proves it: Rana Foroohar has an uncanny ability to sense seismic shifts in economics and politics before the rest of us. Sea Change reveals as much about China’s vision of the future as it does about the Arctic, but it is also an escapist voyage on the human scale, a sheer pleasure to read’ – Evan Osnos, Staff Writer at The New Yorker, author of The Haves and Have-Yachts ‘A new world order is being shaped in the High North, as countries including my own, Canada, as well as the United States, China, Russia, and many European nations stake a claim to one of the richest and most contested parts of our planet: the Arctic. Foroohar’s book gives us a fascinating, firsthand glimpse at what this modern-day Great Game will look like-and why is matters to us all’ Chrystia Freeland, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Canada, economic advisor to the President of Ukraine ‘The global economic order built by America in the post-WWII era is no longer fit for purpose. At a time when politics seem more polarized than ever before, Sea Change shows how we can build a new order in a way that is bipartisan and good for both U.S. workers and American allies. A must-read for people who care about a better future’ Jake Sullivan, former National Security Advisor of the United States ‘For centuries, maritime power has been a prerequisite for economic and political supremacy. Today, America’s historic strength at sea is in danger of being eclipsed by China’s. In Sea Change, Foroohar gives us a page-turning tale of why ships matter as much as chips in the global economy and why we must build again-at home and with allies abroad-to secure our future’ Admiral James Stavridis, retired Four-Star U. S. Naval Officer