The World: A Brief Introduction
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- Author：Richard N. Haass
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Summary
New York Times Bestseller
An invaluable primer from Richard Haass， president of the Council on Foreign Relations， that will help anyone， expert and non-expert alike， navigate a time in which many of our biggest challenges come from the world beyond our borders。
Like it or not， we live in a global era， in which what happens thousands of miles away has the ability to affect our lives。 This time， it is a Coronavirus known as Covid-19， which originated in a Chinese city many had never heard of but has spread to the corners of the earth。 Next time it could well be another infectious disease from somewhere else。 Twenty years ago it was a group of terrorists trained in Afghanistan and armed with box-cutters who commandeered four airplanes and flew them into buildings （and in one case a field） and claimed nearly three thousand lives。 Next time it could be terrorists who use a truck bomb or gain access to a weapon of mass destruction。 In 2016 hackers in a nondescript office building in Russia traveled virtually in cyberspace to manipulate America's elections。 Now they have burrowed into our political life。 In recent years， severe hurricanes and large fires linked to climate change have ravaged parts of the earth; in the future we can anticipate even more serious natural disasters。 In 2008， it was a global financial crisis caused by mortgage-backed securities in America， but one day it could well be a financial contagion originating in Europe， Asia， or Africa。 This is the new normal of the 21st century。
The World is designed to provide readers of any age and experience with the essential background and building blocks they need to make sense of this complicated and interconnected world。 It will empower them to manage the flood of daily news。 Readers will become more informed， discerning citizens， better able to arrive at sound， independent judgments。 While it is impossible to predict what the next crisis will be or where it will originate， those who read The World will have what they need to understand its basics and the principal choices for how to respond。
In short， this book will make readers more globally literate and put them in a position to make sense of this era。 Global literacy--knowing how the world works--is a must， as what goes on outside a country matters enormously to what happens inside。 Although the United States is bordered by two oceans， those oceans are not moats。 And the so-called Vegas rule--what happens there stays there--does not apply in today's world to anyone anywhere。 U。S。 foreign policy is uniquely American， but the world Americans seek to shape is not。 Globalization can be both good and bad， but it is not something that individuals or countries can opt out of。 Even if we want to ignore the world， it will not ignore us。 The choice we face is how to respond。
We are connected to this world in all sorts of ways。 We need to better understand it， both its promise and its threats， in order to make informed choices， be it as students， citizens， voters， parents， employees， or investors。 To help readers do just that， The World focuses on essential history， what makes each region of the world tick， the many challenges globalization presents， and the most influential countries， events， and ideas。 Explaining complex ideas with wisdom and clarity， Richard Haass's The World is an evergreen book that will remain relevant and useful as history continues to unfold。
An invaluable primer from Richard Haass， president of the Council on Foreign Relations， that will help anyone， expert and non-expert alike， navigate a time in which many of our biggest challenges come from the world beyond our borders。
Like it or not， we live in a global era， in which what happens thousands of miles away has the ability to affect our lives。 This time， it is a Coronavirus known as Covid-19， which originated in a Chinese city many had never heard of but has spread to the corners of the earth。 Next time it could well be another infectious disease from somewhere else。 Twenty years ago it was a group of terrorists trained in Afghanistan and armed with box-cutters who commandeered four airplanes and flew them into buildings （and in one case a field） and claimed nearly three thousand lives。 Next time it could be terrorists who use a truck bomb or gain access to a weapon of mass destruction。 In 2016 hackers in a nondescript office building in Russia traveled virtually in cyberspace to manipulate America's elections。 Now they have burrowed into our political life。 In recent years， severe hurricanes and large fires linked to climate change have ravaged parts of the earth; in the future we can anticipate even more serious natural disasters。 In 2008， it was a global financial crisis caused by mortgage-backed securities in America， but one day it could well be a financial contagion originating in Europe， Asia， or Africa。 This is the new normal of the 21st century。
The World is designed to provide readers of any age and experience with the essential background and building blocks they need to make sense of this complicated and interconnected world。 It will empower them to manage the flood of daily news。 Readers will become more informed， discerning citizens， better able to arrive at sound， independent judgments。 While it is impossible to predict what the next crisis will be or where it will originate， those who read The World will have what they need to understand its basics and the principal choices for how to respond。
In short， this book will make readers more globally literate and put them in a position to make sense of this era。 Global literacy--knowing how the world works--is a must， as what goes on outside a country matters enormously to what happens inside。 Although the United States is bordered by two oceans， those oceans are not moats。 And the so-called Vegas rule--what happens there stays there--does not apply in today's world to anyone anywhere。 U。S。 foreign policy is uniquely American， but the world Americans seek to shape is not。 Globalization can be both good and bad， but it is not something that individuals or countries can opt out of。 Even if we want to ignore the world， it will not ignore us。 The choice we face is how to respond。
We are connected to this world in all sorts of ways。 We need to better understand it， both its promise and its threats， in order to make informed choices， be it as students， citizens， voters， parents， employees， or investors。 To help readers do just that， The World focuses on essential history， what makes each region of the world tick， the many challenges globalization presents， and the most influential countries， events， and ideas。 Explaining complex ideas with wisdom and clarity， Richard Haass's The World is an evergreen book that will remain relevant and useful as history continues to unfold。
Reviews
Vijay
，
This is a good primer on foreign affairs which of course is taken from an American perspective。 It gives a very good account of the general state of affairs around the globe together with a summary of the various international institutions such as the UN， World Bank， ICC， etc。I suppose it is designed to introduce people who may be interested in the complex issue of internationals relations。 At the end of the book， the author is also well-known， gives you sources for further reading and understan This is a good primer on foreign affairs which of course is taken from an American perspective。 It gives a very good account of the general state of affairs around the globe together with a summary of the various international institutions such as the UN， World Bank， ICC， etc。I suppose it is designed to introduce people who may be interested in the complex issue of internationals relations。 At the end of the book， the author is also well-known， gives you sources for further reading and understanding。 It unfortunately does not include Noam Chomsky as a further source。A very well written and easy to understand book which will certainly help those who wish to start understanding。 。。。more
Andrew
，
The World: A Brief Introduction， by Richard N。 Haass， is a book that examines an overview of global history， politics， and geography all toward offering an introductory look at geopolitics。 Haass is a former advisor to President George W。 Bush in the United States and is the current president of the Council of Foreign Relations。 He examines this global geopolitics from an American perspective， and in the era of Trump， looking at geopolitical competition between the U。S。 and China/Russia， as well The World: A Brief Introduction， by Richard N。 Haass， is a book that examines an overview of global history， politics， and geography all toward offering an introductory look at geopolitics。 Haass is a former advisor to President George W。 Bush in the United States and is the current president of the Council of Foreign Relations。 He examines this global geopolitics from an American perspective， and in the era of Trump， looking at geopolitical competition between the U。S。 and China/Russia， as well as the declining role of the United States in global affairs。 The book is broken up into sections， first giving a basic history of international relations since the Treaty of Westphalia and then delving into the world's regions and their current economic， political and geographic challenges and opportunities。 Finally， Haass ends on an examination of a number of current geopolitical challenges; the environment， terrorism， cybersecurity， international organizations， global trade， and the like are all examined in swift detail。This book is a solid attempt to increase Americans' knowledge of geopolitics， something Haass worries about， especially in light of the current American retraction from global politics。 Although not as pressing or blatant as Haass may have been worrying about， the U。S。 is certainly moving into a different era of international relations， as it pulls out of Iraq and Afghanistan， and due to the Trump-era retraction or threat of retraction from global institutions like the Paris Accord， the Trans-Pacific Partnership， the WHO， NATO and so forth。 Haass wrote the book in response to a software engineering graduate in the U。S。， who knew little of global affairs， an issue the author sees as pressing in the American realm。 As a reader of politics and global affairs， I found the book to be very basic， but covering an interesting and wide variety of topics with an up-to-date lens （although pre-COVID-19， which has certainly changed the game in a big and unknowable way）。 This was certainly an interesting book， especially for a good introductory text on geopolitics from an American's perspective。 。。。more
Kristupas Viršilas
，
In a very straightforward and fair-minded way， Richard Haas lays out the contemporary unsettling global order， utilizes regional history to make readers aware of how different regions came to be as they are now， and draws a structured vision of the 21st century's increasingly globalizing world。 Essentially it is the International Relations 101。 In my view， the outpouring of factual information makes the book a bit blunt; nevertheless， this primer of Richard Haass delivers on its promise to prov In a very straightforward and fair-minded way， Richard Haas lays out the contemporary unsettling global order， utilizes regional history to make readers aware of how different regions came to be as they are now， and draws a structured vision of the 21st century's increasingly globalizing world。 Essentially it is the International Relations 101。 In my view， the outpouring of factual information makes the book a bit blunt; nevertheless， this primer of Richard Haass delivers on its promise to provide readers of all ages with a foundation to understand our complex era。 。。。more
Rick
，
This is a shallow history， which I expected from what the author wrote about the book， and I read it to find weak spots in my knowledge of history that this book might enlighten。 It did， but there were not many of those spots， so mostly it was light reading or subjects with which I was familiar。
Rowida
，
Haas is aware of his Euro-centric bias， but does nothing to even give you a sliver of non-European political/historical knowledge。 If you are looking for a comprehensive history of the world （in just three to four hundred pages， albeit）， this book isn't for you。 It was very superficial。 Haas is aware of his Euro-centric bias， but does nothing to even give you a sliver of non-European political/historical knowledge。 If you are looking for a comprehensive history of the world （in just three to four hundred pages， albeit）， this book isn't for you。 It was very superficial。 。。。more
Writemoves
，
This book provides a useful overview of the world today and the challenges that we face。 For me， I was familiar with most of the history that Haass presented in the book。 The book was useful to me in that the author added some analysis and color to the facts， statistics and data he provided。I agree with those reviewers who find that this would be a useful book for a high school and college students who are not familiar with world history， economics， geography and politics。 But given the lack of This book provides a useful overview of the world today and the challenges that we face。 For me， I was familiar with most of the history that Haass presented in the book。 The book was useful to me in that the author added some analysis and color to the facts， statistics and data he provided。I agree with those reviewers who find that this would be a useful book for a high school and college students who are not familiar with world history， economics， geography and politics。 But given the lack of knowledge shown by all age groups， this is an easy to read book that everyone can read。Most books like this are complex， hard to understand and assumes a prior state of knowledge that a reader may not have。 This book does not talk down to its readers。 It's not intended to convince the reader of a particular point of view – – it's meant to provide information as impartially as possible。There were two takeaways regarding challenges this country faces and the author presents them very well below:All of this also requires that the United States get its own house in order – – reducing government debt， augmenting pandemic preparedness， reining in gun violence， reducing opioid abuse， rebuilding infrastructure， improving public education， investing more in basic research， adapting and expanding the social safety net， adopting a smart immigration system that allows talented foreigners to come and stay， healing the racial divide， ushering in police reform， and tackling the many manifestations of political dysfunction。The real question going forward is whether the United States can recoup its reputation for reliability and restore the faith of its allies or whether there will be lingering doubts given the country's increasingly inward focus and its deepening political divisions， as underscored by the violence at the US capital on January 6， 2021。 。。。more
Scott Heyman
，
Incredibly thoughtful， reads like a well-curated list of knowledgeable Wikipedia articles。 I feel more knowledgeable and am glad to have this on my bookshelf。 I think it accomplished its goal of helping give context to the challenges the world faces。 However， my main issue is that-the book was dense and felt repetitive without leaving me particularly knowledgeable about any single issue。
Craig Cooley
，
Gives an excellent context for understanding current events。
Mario
，
A decent overview of major issues and trends in international politics。
Seher
，
The content of this book is literally as the title suggests - a brief history of the world。 I really liked reading the tidbits of history up till the 1800’s。 Learnt the basics of a lot of stuff that was never taught in school。 Post that， though， it felt like a skimmed version of the highlights of historic events （most of which we may have already read about）。 But it makes sense that it feels like a cliff notes edition because each topic can have volumes of books dedicated to them。 Haass did an i The content of this book is literally as the title suggests - a brief history of the world。 I really liked reading the tidbits of history up till the 1800’s。 Learnt the basics of a lot of stuff that was never taught in school。 Post that， though， it felt like a skimmed version of the highlights of historic events （most of which we may have already read about）。 But it makes sense that it feels like a cliff notes edition because each topic can have volumes of books dedicated to them。 Haass did an incredible job in compiling all this info but it did feel more Western World oriented。 He addresses the fact that he could not possibly give equal elaborate attention to all continents， let alone countries。 But it’s a good jumping off point to figure out which of these topics pique your interest。 Then the reader can delve into literature dedicated to particular topics。 Basically， this book makes you generally more knowledgeable & aware about the world。 You don’t need to memorise the names or dates or events。 It’s more important to understand the “why” behind the events and those will stick in your subconscious with minimal effort。 。。。more
Will Norton
，
The author is the head of the Council of Foreign relations and this book is more of an introduction to his field。 Unfortunately， reading this book was somewhat of a drove of foreign policy issues that I already know about from private study。 This doesn't mean that it is not written well or without good organization。 Instead， this is a teaching aid that anyone with interest in foreign policy to make almost as a manual to the field。 There is little analysis as the book does more to describe than t The author is the head of the Council of Foreign relations and this book is more of an introduction to his field。 Unfortunately， reading this book was somewhat of a drove of foreign policy issues that I already know about from private study。 This doesn't mean that it is not written well or without good organization。 Instead， this is a teaching aid that anyone with interest in foreign policy to make almost as a manual to the field。 There is little analysis as the book does more to describe than to argue。 Even without viewpoints， sometimes needed， sometimes not needed， the "brief introduction" of the book's title describes it well。 Not so much for experts， if you are a novice this is a good place to start。 Note the bibliography too！ 。。。more
Lucy
，
I found this book very helpful in summarizing a lot of what I know about the world in a fairly concise manner。 He tries to be as objective as possible。 I had some trouble really following the parts on economics， but that's not my field at all。 I found his description of populism as "where personal power and considerations take precedence over rules and institutions" very helpful in understanding the recent American administration （before Biden won the latest election）。Chapters are: The Essential I found this book very helpful in summarizing a lot of what I know about the world in a fairly concise manner。 He tries to be as objective as possible。 I had some trouble really following the parts on economics， but that's not my field at all。 I found his description of populism as "where personal power and considerations take precedence over rules and institutions" very helpful in understanding the recent American administration （before Biden won the latest election）。Chapters are: The Essential History （four chapters covering from the Thirty Years' War to the present）; Regions of the World （Europe， East Asia and the Pacific， South Asia， The Middle East， Africa， The Americas）; The Global Era （covers major concerns and topics like globalization， terrorism & counterterrorism， nuclear proliferation， climate change， migration， the Internet & other online concerns， global health， trade & investment， currency & monetary policy， development）; Order and Disorder （sovereignty， alliances & coalitions， international society， war between countries， internal instability & war within countries， the liberal world order）。Haass has held positions in Republican administrations and is currently president of the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations。 。。。more
Archana Sharma
，
This is one the best books I have read about global history。 With crisp and witty writing， it does what it says - provide a brief introduction of the current world and is a must-read for those who want an overview of our past， present and future。 It provides a basic but essential background to understand what happened where （and also tries to give reasons to understand the why）。 Going beyond just history though， it highlights the issues plaguing our globalised world and the ways that have been s This is one the best books I have read about global history。 With crisp and witty writing， it does what it says - provide a brief introduction of the current world and is a must-read for those who want an overview of our past， present and future。 It provides a basic but essential background to understand what happened where （and also tries to give reasons to understand the why）。 Going beyond just history though， it highlights the issues plaguing our globalised world and the ways that have been suggested to deal with them。 。。。more
John Matthew IV
，
Great introduction to the world we live in。 The Essential History and Regions of the World sections were great。The Global Era was tough sledding。Order and Disorder was an easier read。p。 31: "Yalta proved to be a textbook case of the propensity of American presidents to believe that on the strength of their personal relationship with a foreign leader a resolution to intractable problems could be reached， even if that leader was dictatorial and showed an unwavering devotion to what he judged to be Great introduction to the world we live in。 The Essential History and Regions of the World sections were great。The Global Era was tough sledding。Order and Disorder was an easier read。p。 31: "Yalta proved to be a textbook case of the propensity of American presidents to believe that on the strength of their personal relationship with a foreign leader a resolution to intractable problems could be reached， even if that leader was dictatorial and showed an unwavering devotion to what he judged to be his own national interests。"p。 70: NATO's purpose: "Keep the Soviet Union out， the Americans in， and the Germans down。" It succeeded in achieving these goals and more。p。 101: Pakistan， whose name is an acronym derived from the country's component parts: Punjab， Afghania， Kashmir， Sindh， and Baluchistan。p。 107: Taliban: the word for "students" in Pashtop。 111: "The Middle East has been， is， and quite likely will remain the most tumultuous of the world's regions。"p。 114: "As is almost always the case， it is useful to review the history to better understand the present。"p。 167: The Global Terrorism Database retrieved from https://www。start。umd。edu/gtd/p。 271: Freedom House: https://freedomhouse。org/p。 299: "No one today would design a UN Security Council that looked like the current one， yet real reform is impossible， because those who would lose influence block any changes。"p。 307: Council on Foreign Relations: https://www。cfr。org/p。 309: The Financial Times: https://www。ft。com/p。 3o9: The Economist: https://www。economist。com/p。 310: Foreign Affairs: https://www。foreignaffairs。com/p。 310: Chatham House: https://www。chathamhouse。org/p。 310: War on the Rocks: https://warontherocks。com/p。 312: Council on Foreign Relations podcasts: The President's Inbox， The World Next Week， and Why It Mattersp。 313: World 101: https://world101。cfr。org/p。 313: Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision-Makersp。 313: Liberal Leviathan: The Origins， Crisis， and Transformation of the American World Orderp。 313: Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero Worldp。 317: 10: Emperor of Japan: Meiji and His World， 1852-1912p。 317: 12: History of the First World Warp。 317: 14: The First World War: A Very Short Introductionp。 320: 29: The Cold War: A New Historyp。 320: 29: The Cold War: A World Historyp。 320: 34: Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnamp。 337: 102: India: A History p。 340: 115: Arab and Jew: Wounded Spirits in a Promised Landp。 342: 134: South Africa: The Rise and Fall of Apartheidp。 342: 134: Move Your Shadow: South Africa， Black and Whitep。 345: 150: Reconsiderations: The War of the Falkland Islandsp。 346: 150: Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America's Soul 。。。more
Jeannine
，
I needed this book。 A well organized easy to read history of the world。
Roy
，
I found this book to be pretty elementary。 But that is perhaps the point。 I follow the news， read about history and have done that for decades。 So my rating is not based on my personal experience but my perception of how I think the book should appear to someone who has not had much introduction。I found the book to be quite clear and forthright about the state of world affairs and how we have arrived at the current events as clearly as possible for a primer that by nature has to be somewhat supe I found this book to be pretty elementary。 But that is perhaps the point。 I follow the news， read about history and have done that for decades。 So my rating is not based on my personal experience but my perception of how I think the book should appear to someone who has not had much introduction。I found the book to be quite clear and forthright about the state of world affairs and how we have arrived at the current events as clearly as possible for a primer that by nature has to be somewhat superficial。 I applaud Mr Haass's clarity in the presentation of the material。 It is not only well presented but done in an interesting way。 。。。more
Raz
，
“Brief” was the right descriptor for this book — in the “inch deep and mile wide” approach。 It covers， sometimes repeatedly， important topics and is a worthwhile primer to understanding current and potential future global issues。
Caleb
，
This book is essentially an International Relations 101 course in a short book format。 That's important to know upfront。 It includes history， geography， and cultural studies， but Haass uses all those topics in the service of helping people in the United States understanding geopolitics in the 21st century。As others have said in their reviews， this is a valuable primer for those who do not follow the daily headlines， but it will not give stunning insights to those who keep up with world affairs。 This book is essentially an International Relations 101 course in a short book format。 That's important to know upfront。 It includes history， geography， and cultural studies， but Haass uses all those topics in the service of helping people in the United States understanding geopolitics in the 21st century。As others have said in their reviews， this is a valuable primer for those who do not follow the daily headlines， but it will not give stunning insights to those who keep up with world affairs。 These observations are not criticisms， but they are useful to know before investing in the book。 Those looking for insight into the various cultures， religions， geographies， peoples， or places of the world would be wise to look elsewhere。 News junkies will still find this book valuable for its framework and lucid summaries; neophytes will learn about many of the structures and backgrounds of the current world order without getting overwhelmed with theory or technical details。 I personally plan to use portions of this book with my World Cultures and AP World History students; the regional overviews are particularly useful as an introduction to contemporary global contexts。Haas is an expert in the field--currently the president of the CFR--and he treats the subject with an even hand， betraying his center-right pragmatism only occasionally and in ways that are non-offensive to the reader and that are easy with which to engage。 。。。more
Lisa
，
This should be required reading throughout the US。 some sections are a bit dense， but the basic concepts， scope of content， and the potential consequences are key to understanding where we are and where we need to be。
Rachel Sharf
，
Excellent primer for today's complicated world。 Maybe 20% new information for me but the way the author organizes this vast subject illustrates his knowledge and deep understanding of the issues。 Recommended。 Excellent primer for today's complicated world。 Maybe 20% new information for me but the way the author organizes this vast subject illustrates his knowledge and deep understanding of the issues。 Recommended。 。。。more
Angel c
，
Read it for class， I believe it to be an okay introduction in a little bit of everything。 The author didn't go in-depth about anything but threw out some questions for the readers to stew on。 Though it is from a western perspective， which is not as objective as I thought it would be。 Read it for class， I believe it to be an okay introduction in a little bit of everything。 The author didn't go in-depth about anything but threw out some questions for the readers to stew on。 Though it is from a western perspective， which is not as objective as I thought it would be。 。。。more
Cristian
，
mediocre and too general。very American-centric and American-biased。 simplistic / sad / unfair interpretation on the world。
Ryan Ray Kroells
，
A great book for those looking for an International relations 101 and world history 101 course。 If you are an avid follower of global events or academically grounded in IR/Recent history， there’s little to gain here but a brush up。
Pamela Wagar
，
Nice overview of the world and what makes it as it is。
Steven L
，
While admittedly just a primer， I thought that it was a bit simplistic。 While there was lots to disagree with， it was still more even-handed than I expected from the president of the Council on Foreign Relations， aka "Wall Street's Think Tank。" What made me give the book an extra star in my rating was its very good notes/bibliography， which was full of good suggestions for further reading。 While admittedly just a primer， I thought that it was a bit simplistic。 While there was lots to disagree with， it was still more even-handed than I expected from the president of the Council on Foreign Relations， aka "Wall Street's Think Tank。" What made me give the book an extra star in my rating was its very good notes/bibliography， which was full of good suggestions for further reading。 。。。more
Anna
，
2。5。 At times this book was overly simplistic and other times threw around ‘big terms’ and pieces of history without any further explanation。 Learned some， was reminded some。 I admit to skimming the last third。
Martín Madridejos
，
Un resumen conciso de prácticamente todos los temas de política internacional。 Hass aborda la historia contemporánea， las principales regiones， los aspectos fundamentales de la globalización y los elementos de orden y desorden。 Pese a que trate tantos temas en relativas pocas páginas， “The World” es sin duda un manual didáctico de relaciones internacionales， apto para todo el mundo， y perfectamente explicado y resumido gracias a la maestría de Richard Hass。
David
，
The first half of this book was a bit of an easy reader version of world history。 It finishes a little better with some in depth discussions of US government transitions in the last century。 It was just OK。
Joe
，
This is my second book by Haass and， overall， I was not disappointed。 The first two sections covered world history from the end of the 30 Years War to current times and a review of the major regions of the world。 I found these sections to be VERY high level and almost superficial。 The third section dealt with the global challenges that we all face and must address in some fashion。 This section was very thought provoking and I thought that it was the most instructive section of the book。 I found This is my second book by Haass and， overall， I was not disappointed。 The first two sections covered world history from the end of the 30 Years War to current times and a review of the major regions of the world。 I found these sections to be VERY high level and almost superficial。 The third section dealt with the global challenges that we all face and must address in some fashion。 This section was very thought provoking and I thought that it was the most instructive section of the book。 I found myself stopping to reflect on the messages listed in this section。 The fourth section dealt with the struggle to achieve and maintain a strong world order and the importance of constructive international relations。 Perhaps， the first two high level sections were necessary as background information for the last two sections of the book。 This is a good book that should be a must read for those trying to understand the global environment that we face。 。。。more
Ignacio
，