What has led the West towards the crises of the last decade?
The global political and economic shocks of recent years have been felt in the rupturing of the European Union, political turbulence in the US, destabilisation of the Middle East, and the creation of over $25 trillion of new money by central banks. The pandemic constituted its own unique crisis, but also acted as a window on the decade of turmoil that preceded it. What led us to the moment we’re living through, and what can we learn from it?
Professor of Political Economy Helen Thompson examines the overlapping geopolitical and economic stories behind this singular moment in history, exploring how the crises we are experiencing have arisen from the structures designed to uphold the international order. She explores how the ever-present question of how we produce and consume energy continues to define our world, and how the fallout from this is taking shape across the West and in its relationship with the Middle East, China, and beyond.