Us vs. Them

The Failure of Globalism

By: Ian Bremmer

Narrated by: Willis Sparks

Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

From Ian Bremmer, the acclaimed Time columnist, Eurasia Group president, and expert consultant on global risk, comes a definitive guide to navigating the dangers of the age of populism.

From Brexit in the UK, to Donald Trump in the US, to extremist parties in Europe and the developing world, populism has dominated recent headlines. What explains this rise of leaders who stoke nationalist anger in their countries, from Le Pen to Erdogan? How long will the populist wave last? Who will be the winners and losers in this climate, and how can we defend the values of democracy, free trade, and international cooperation?

No one is better suited to explore these questions than Ian Bremmer, who has built his career on assessing global risk for his clients, and explaining complex political dynamics in accessible terms in publications such as Time. He explains the social, economic, and technological forces fueling this new wave of populism and why we're witnessing a rejection of the democratic, global cosmopolitan trends of the late 20th century.

Bremmer argues that, much like climate change, the rise of populism around the world is inevitable, likely to spread wider and worsen over the coming decade. But despite this bleak assessment, he also sees a light at the end of the tunnel. This audiobook offers a guide to navigating the shifting political landscape and weathering the populist storm.

©2018 Ian Bremmer (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The best book yet on the waves Donald Trump rode to power. Ian Bremmer is right that rage and scorn are not plans. He provides good practical ideas for what can be done.” (Lawrence Summers, professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and former director or the National Economic Council)

“My favorite thinker on geopolitics offers a masterful analysis of why globalism crashed and populism has soared. This book won’t just help you predict the future of nations; it will play a role in shaping that future.” (Adam Grant, author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg)

"Once again, Ian Bremmer provides a striking preview of tomorrow's top stories. A timely warning, but also a source of hope, Us vs. Them is required reading for those worried about our world’s future." (Nouriel Roubini, author of Crisis Economics; professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business; chairman of Roubini Macro Associates)

An insight into the dysfunctional Progressive mind

Armed with a bevy if facts and statistics, the author manages to pick and choose those which support his particular opinion, rather than allowing logical interpretation of the facts guide his opinion. It’s classic Progressive-style thinking (or lack thereof). Also cited are “evidence” for concepts which have been discredited by more careful or thorough research.
The author is correct about one thing — Trump voters should not be taken for granted, and the reasons they voted for Trump need to be understood. He just misses the mark, widely, in trying to explain those voters.

Worth your money

Ian Bremmer shows you how greater polarization is creating rifts between societies all over the world. He focuses in particular on the developing world, and the challenges these countries are likely to face in wake of automatization in the work place. In general this is a very well-written book, and it has a good narrator. I can't say I agree with absolutely all his suggested means of rewriting the social contract (such as universal income), but I do agree with overall objective of bridging the gap between the "winners" and "losers" of globalization. If there's one thing I missed in this book, it must have been an assessment of "UsVsThem" within European states - particularly when it comes to separatism. For instance, I believe that Bremmer's main argument could be applied to explaining the most recent surge of support for Scottish and Catalonian separatism.

Can’t quibble with the diagnosis but wish there were some treatment options

The book reads like a fair assessment of what is going on around the world with rising populism, a rejection of globalization and turning back on multi national organizations and cooperation. But that’s where it feels like this book stops while it should continue. It does a fair job of diagnosing current problems, and predicting the difficulties that are likely to come as these trends continue. But by not prescribing ways that humanity can avoid the that future state, the book becomes a pessimistic treatise on today’s issues that left me depressed about the next 10-20 years.

Amazing analysis and clear view of a scary but fixable future

The full analysis of the 12 countries covered in this book, is profound and disturbingly real... the social phenomenon that is parallel in all casas and different approaches gives the reader a course of action on how to act and live in a fast progressive society on which we are boing set up by our own intelligence to become more disposable and a society in which the human being needs to rethink its role....

Good book with a big blind spot

Felt it was a very well written, concise overview of Bremmer's highly informed worldview. Excellent narration also. Very worthwhile for anyone interested in what's going on around the world in 2018 and what is likely to start happening soon. Not sure why so many struggle to grasp the insights he brings to bear. They're so straightforward when you see them!

That said, I think the exclusion of the militarism that is helping precipitate the current situation should have been addressed. Makes me significantly less enthusiastic about recommending it.

Scary view of the world we live in and what’s to come.

Full of very interesting facts and some great insight into global politics. But I could have done without the Trump bashing. Interesting how you can write about how bad the rest of the world is and still dislike Trump so much.

Globalization is here. What do we do now?

Bremmer explains that we can either build walls to exclude “Them “ or we can revise the social contract to help globalization’s losers. He says, though, that things will have to become much worse before the winners will allow this to happen. What I failed to grasp from the book is how wide this conclusion spans. Is it just for the intranational Us v Them struggle or for the international one as well. If for the later, then there is no social contract to amend. I must have missed Bremmer’s conclusion there. I am sure that he explained this. I will probably listen a second time (at least to the concluding chapter). No problem, though, because I enjoyed this book very much.

Not enough in depth analysis

I appreciated and enjoyed Mr Bremmer’s discussion around conditions in the world, though a more in depth discussion would have been appreciated. In particular, the lack of discussion around the real life failures of some ideas, such as UBI, was very disappointing.

Want help understanding Trump supporters and Brexiteer friends and relatives you’ve blocked or unfollowed?

First five and last five minutes of this book speak volumes for those who feel left behind. Worth a read if you want to gain empathy for Trump supporters and Brexiteers

Bremmer knows today’s world.

I’ve always been a follower of Ian Bremmer’s analyses of the state of the world’s governments. Here again he has painted a picture of a Populist plague gradually infecting America, The EU and Eastern Europe. No doubt it will blanket the rest of the developed world if we cannot meet its challenge. Us vs Them tries to explain and empathize with the people Globalization has left behind. His analysis is unbiased and well-reasoned and deserves a hearing.

The book is relatively short and I wish that he had spent a little more time justifying his optimism that societies divided by fear and insecurity can rise to effect the solutions he proposes. I’m not sure I share his hopefulness. But we may not have a choice if we are to survive.