Title: Savage century : back to barbarism /
Authors: Delpech, Thérèse.
Publisher: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace,
Year: 2007
Subjects: Security, International Forecasting.; World politics; Geopolitics.
Abstract: "At the dawn of the twentieth century, observers heralded a new era of social progress, seemingly limitless technological advances, and world peace. But within only a few years, the world was perched on the brink of war, revolution, and human misery on an unprecedented scale. Is it possible that today, in the early twenty-first century, we are on the verge of similar, tumultuous times?" "Blending a detailed knowledge of international security affairs with history, philosophy, psychology, and literature, Therese Delpech vividly reminds us of the signs and warnings that were missed as the "civilized" world failed to prevent the world wars, Holocaust, Soviet death camps, and Cambodian killing fields that made the twentieth century so deadly. Drawing a parallel between 1905 and 2005, Delpech warns that it could happen again in this current era of increasing international violence and global lawlessness. She looks ahead to imagine various scenarios and regions that could provide flashpoints in the future."--Jacket.
Contents: The telescope. Political responsibility ; The pleasure principle ; Ensavagement ; The corruption of principles -- 1905. Portents ; The birth of modernity ; An unforeseeable actor ; Against the grain -- The world in 2025. Foresight and memory ; Three bets for the future ; Open questions -- Back in 2005. The scene in 2005 ; Russia as it is ; The two Chinas ; North Korean blackmail ; The choice of the peoples ; The unity of the Western camp ; Rethinking nuclear weapons -- Epilogue: The human soul torn to pieces.