The Return of History: Conflict, Migration, and Geopolitics in the Twenty-First Century (The CBC Massey Lectures, 2016) - Softcover

Welsh, Jennifer

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1487002424 ISBN 13: 9781487002428

Publisher: House of Anansi Press, 2017

Synopsis

#1 National Bestseller

In 1989, as the Berlin Wall crumbled and the Cold War dissipated, the American political commentator Francis Fukuyama wrote a famous essay, entitled “The End of History.” Fukuyama argued that the demise of confrontation between Communism and capitalism, and the expansion of Western liberal democracy, signalled the endpoint of humanity’s sociocultural and political evolution, the waning of traditional power politics, and the path toward a more peaceful world. At the heart of his thesis was the audaciously optimistic idea of “progress” in history.

But a quarter of a century after Fukuyama’s bold prediction about transcending the struggles of the past, history has returned. The twenty-first century has not seen unfettered progress toward peace and a single form of government, but the reappearance of trends and practices many believed had been erased: arbitrary executions, attempts to annihilate ethnic and religious minorities, the starvation of besieged populations, invasion and annexation of territory, and the mass movement of refugees and displaced persons. It has also witnessed cracks and cleavages within Western liberal democracies, particularly as a result of deepening economic inequality ― at levels not seen since the end of the nineteenth century.

The Return of History both illustrates and explains this return of history. But it also demonstrates how the reappearance of acts deemed “barbaric” or “medieval” has a modern twist. Above all, it argues that the return of history should encourage us all to remember that our own liberal democratic society was not inevitable and that we must all, as individual citizens, take a more active role in its preservation and growth.

About this title

About the Author

JENNIFER WELSH is Professor and Chair in International Relations at the European University Institute in Florence (Italy) and a Fellow of Somerville College, University of Oxford. From 2013 until 2016, she was the Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on the Responsibility to Protect. She co-founded the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, and has taught international relations at the University of Toronto, McGill University, and the Central European University (Prague). Welsh is the author, co-author, and editor of several books and articles on international relations, the changing character of war, and Canadian foreign policy. She was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, and is of Metis descent. She now lives in Italy, with her husband and two children.

Review

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

“Insightful, frighteningly timely, and highly accessible. . . [Welsh] skillfully answers realpolitik questions with a seamless, finely honed argument deserving of broad readership and study.” ― Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

“Welsh’s unusual perspective serves her well and distinguishes this book from other return-of-history jeremiads. Not only is she exceptionally fluent in the debates and histories of political science, but she has a unique understanding of the actual workings and breaking points of the formal international order and its failings.” ― Globe and Mail

“Welsh mounts a forceful moral argument.” ― Maclean’s

“Welsh offers an engaging and thought-provoking argument.” ― National Post

“Sound, humane and useful.” ― Winnipeg Free Press

Edition details

• Publisher: House of Anansi Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1487002424
• ISBN 13: 9781487002428
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 360