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The Bulwark ·Future-gazing

The Holiday From History is Over

by Brian Stewart

Published 2026-05-29 09:32:53+00:00

How did the world's richest nations convince themselves that military power no longer mattered?

0:00 / 16:31 · Narrator Gacrux

Context

Published on 29 May 2026, this review of Brendan Simms’s latest book captures a sharp shift in how the West understands global politics. For decades, leaders assumed international trade would naturally erase old national rivalries. That optimism has since collided with reality. The argument holds up well because it provides a highly practical framework for reading today's international news. Instead of treating recent conflicts as isolated crises, the review groups them into a larger historical pattern. It shows exactly why raw military strength and geography still dictate the terms of global power.

Show notes

A review of historian Brendan Simms’s argument that the post-Cold War era of globalization was a brief break from the historical norm of state conflict. Tracing five centuries of international rivalry, it outlines how Western governments replaced military deterrence with economic integration. This retreat from traditional power politics left the United States and Europe vulnerable to expansion by Russia and China.

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