‘Essential and definitive’ CATHERINE BELTON, author of PUTIN’S PEOPLE

We are in a new era.

From Trump, Putin and Bolsonaro to Erdogan, Xi and Modi, self-styled strongmen have become a central feature of global politics. At home, they claim to be standing up for ordinary people against ‘globalist’ elites; abroad, they posture as the embodiment of their nation. And everywhere they go, they encourage a cult of personality.

How and why did this new style of authoritarian leadership arrive? How likely is it to lead the world into war and economic collapse? And what liberal forces are in place, not only to keep these strongmen in check but to reverse the trend? The Age of the Strongman explores these essential questions and offers a bold new portrait of our world.

‘TIMELY, LASER-SHARP… A MUST-READ’ PETER FRANKOPAN

‘WIDE-RANGING AND ASTUTE’ THE ECONOMIST

We are in a new era.

Since the beginning of the millennium, when Vladimir Putin took power in Russia, authoritarian leaders have come to dominate global politics. Self-styled strongmen have risen to power in Moscow, Beijing, Delhi, Brasilia, Budapest, Ankara, Riyadh and Washington.

How and why did this new style of strongman leadership arrive? How likely is it to lead to war or economic collapse? And what forces are in place not only to keep these strongmen in check but to reverse the trend?

Everywhere they go, these leaders encourage a cult of personality. They are nationalists and social conservatives, with little tolerance for minorities, dissent or the interests of foreigners. At home, they claim to stand up for ordinary people against globalist elites; abroad, they posture as the embodiments of their nations. And they are not just operating in authoritarian political systems but have begun to emerge in the heartlands of liberal democracy.

From Putin, Trump and Bolsonaro to Erdogan, Xi and Modi, The Age of the Strongman provides the first truly global treatment of the new nationalism and offers a bold new paradigm for understanding our world.

‘When it comes to making sense of today’s world, Gideon Rachman is in a league of his own’ – Ivan Krastev, co-author of The Light that Failed