The World: A Brief Introduction
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- Author：Richard N. Haass
- ISBN：0399562419
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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
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 Chang
，
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
，
Great introduction to International Relations and current global events。Introductory text。
Sumanth Gottipati
，
It does what it promises to do， well。 Giving a brief introduction of how the world functions on global scale。
David Blankenship
，
Many of the complaints about this book center on the idea that this book is so very simple。 Surely people should already know these things， right？ But the reality is that many people don't know the basics of history， of the world structures， of the fundamental problems of civilization。 If you do， then yes， this book won't tell you much you don't already know。 My question about this book is whether the intended audience would actually read it。 If somebody is ignorant enough to not know at least s Many of the complaints about this book center on the idea that this book is so very simple。 Surely people should already know these things， right？ But the reality is that many people don't know the basics of history， of the world structures， of the fundamental problems of civilization。 If you do， then yes， this book won't tell you much you don't already know。 My question about this book is whether the intended audience would actually read it。 If somebody is ignorant enough to not know at least some of these things already， then reading a 400 page book isn't likely to happen。 But it's still worth a read; in fact it could have been twice as long with a bit more detail about history and about other facets of the world （such as religion and sport and entertaintment） and how they have made a large impact。 。。。more
Márcio Luiz
，
For what it is （brief）， it is very good。
สฤณี อาชวานันทกุล
，
（ฟังหนังสือเสียงภาษาอังกฤษ）ผู้เขียนบอกว่าเขาเขียนหนังสือเล่มนี้เพราะเจอบัณฑิตปริญญาตรีที่มีความรู้น้อยมากเกี่ยวกับความเป็นไปในโลก เนื้อหาจึงค่อนข้างเป็นระดับพื้นฐานตามชื่อหนังสือ ว่าด้วยประวัติศาสตร์และภูมิรัฐศาสตร์โลก เขียนอย่างค่อนข้างเป็นภววิสัยแต่สำนวนค่อนข้าง “แห้ง” เหมือนอ่านวิกิพีเดีย 55เหมาะเป็นหนังสือเรียนระดับ ม。ปลาย หรือหนังสือประกอบวิขาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างประเทศ แต่ใครที่ติดตามข่าวต่างประเทศ รู้เรื่องเหตุการณ์สำคัญๆ ในประวัติศาสตร์โลกอยู่แล้วก็ไม่มีความจำเป็นต้องอ่าน
jacki hershberger
，
It was a great summary of our world。 I pay attention to world events， but Mr。 Haas put a the corners of our globe into a compact focus。 He did a good job explaining how interconnected our world is， and how decisions and actions taken decades ago， continue to have impact today。 I enjoyed the book。
Andres
，
Biased version of history & current events told from the perspective of Ex-imperial and ex-colonialist global literacy education。An alternative reading would be， How Europe underdeveloped Africa。
John Eise
，
An overview of why nations relate to each other the way they do through the lens of history。 Enjoyed reading it。
Alex
，