Sign-In
Cart
On the Precipice: Echoes of the Past in a New Age of Power
Paperback
ISBN13: 9789199127002
Publisher: Auteur Visuel
Published: Sep 3 2026
Pages: 196
Weight: 0.59
Height: 0.42 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
History does not repeat itself. But the structures that shape power can return in recognisable forms.
On the Precipice examines how old patterns of domination, dependence and strategic vulnerability reappear under new political and institutional conditions.
Beginning with the transformation of Europe in the late nineteenth century, the book moves through 1914, the failed peace that followed, the reconstruction of international order after 1945, the exceptional conditions of post-war Europe, the unipolar moment after the Cold War, and the return of harder forms of geopolitical competition.
The central question is not whether history is repeating itself. It is what changes when the conditions that once made a political order stable begin to disappear.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China's rise, NATO, European integration, economic interdependence, energy, technology and strategic autonomy are examined as parts of a wider shift in the relationship between power and institutions.
Throughout, the analysis distinguishes explanation from justification and power from principle. Realism is used to keep the constraints of what is visible; liberalism to examine how institutions can make more of what ought to be sustainable.
Europe therefore stands at a difficult threshold. The political achievement of replacing much of its internal power politics with law, institutions and cooperation is real. The unresolved question is whether that achievement can remain secure in an international system increasingly shaped by actors that still calculate through power.
A precipice is not a prediction of a fall. It is a condition in which the consequences of error increase while the future remains uncertain.
Also from
Fröderberg, J. E.
No Villains Required: Doesn't Mean There Are No Villains: Why Bad Outcomes So Easily Become Blame, Villains, and Polarization
Fröderberg, J. E.
Paperback
No Villains Required: Doesn't Mean There Are No Villains: Why Bad Outcomes So Easily Become Blame, Villains, and Polarization
Fröderberg, J. E.
Paperback
Also in
Gifts & Stationery General
Go-To Notebook with Mohawk Paper, Midnight Blue Blank: (Blank Notebooks, Simple Notebook, Blue Notebook)
Chronicle Books
Other
This Earthly Globe: A Venetian Geographer and the Quest to Map the World
Andrea Di Robilant
Paperback
Flow Hive's Book of Bees and Beekeeping: Protect, Enjoy, Harvest
Anderson, Stuart
Anderson, Cedar
Hardcover
The Official Pumpkin Spice Café Cookbook: 60 Delicious Dream Harbor Recipes
Gilmore, Laurie
Thomas, Heather
Hardcover
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Snoopy (Officially Licensed Peanuts Product)
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Paperback
The Investor's Odyssey: Resisting the Sirens and Playing the Long Game
Mayer, Christopher W.
Hardcover
Bear Hugs Notecards: (Cute Notecards, Notecards for Friends, Artistic Notecards with Envelopes)
Chronicle Books
Other
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Flowers & Nature Stained Glass (28 Images to Sticker)
Brain Games
New Seasons
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Learning Japanese Hiragana and Katakana: A Workbook for Self-Study
Takagaki, Tetsuo
Henshall, Kenneth G.
Paperback
3-Color Botanical Cyanotype Kit: Beginner-Friendly Solar Printing Kit for DIY Nature Art
Rafferty, Sarah Bourne
Hardcover
Once Upon a Cookbook: A Treasury of Recipes Inspired by Timeless Children's Books
Taylor, Bryton
Hardcover
Brain Games - Sticker by Number - Vintage: Animals (28 Images to Sticker)
New Seasons
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Gilded Gardens (24 Images to Sticker): Includes 2 Foil Sticker Sheets to Complete Each Image!
New Seasons
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Be Calm (28 Images to Sticker)
New Seasons
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
After Dinner Amusements: Truth or Dare for Couples: 50 Questions and Challenges
Chronicle Books
Other
The Three Books of Enoch, Plus the Enoch Portions of the Book of Jasher
Ben Elisha, Ishmael
Paperback
Book Club Bar: Literary-Inspired Drink Recipes for Your Next Great Read
Neary, Erin
Esten, Nat
Hardcover
Tesla & The Cabbage Patch Kids: Exploring the lost Empire of Tartaria and the Reset of 1776
Anderson, Guy Peter
Paperback
Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing: I Survived Threshing Stickers - Sticker Set of 4
Out of Print
Paperback
The World of Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None a 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle: Illustrated by Ruby Ash
Agatha Christie Ltd, Agatha Christie
Other
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Cozy Capybaras: Includes a Foil Sticker Sheet to Complete Each Image!
Publications International Ltd
New Seasons
Brain Games
Paperback
Brain Games - Sticker by Number: Enchanted Wonders (36 Images to Sticker): Includes Foil Stickers!
New Seasons
Brain Games
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Faith Sprout The 66 Roots Journey: Understand Every Book of the Bible Without Getting Lost
Ross, John
Paperback
Brain Games - Search and Sticker: Animals (for Kids Ages 3-6)
Little Grasshopper Books
Publications International Ltd
Paperback
Brain Games - To Go - 3-In-1: Word Search, Sudoku, Crosswords
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback