Description: Popular consensus says that the US rose over two centuries to Cold War victory and world domination, and is now in slow decline. But is this right? History's great civilizations have always lasted much longer, and for all its colossal power, American culture was overshadowed by Europe until recently. What if this isn't the end?
In History Has Begun, Bruno Maçães offers a compelling vision of America's future, both fascinating and unnerving. From the early American Republic, he takes us to the turbulent present, when, he argues, America is finally forging its own path. We can see the birth pangs of this new civilization in today's debates on guns, religion, foreign policy, and the significance of Trump. Should the coronavirus pandemic be regarded as an opportunity to build a new kind of society? What will its values be, and what will this new America look like? Maçães traces the long arc of US history to argue that in contrast to those who see the US on the cusp of decline, it may well be simply shifting to a new model, one equally powerful but no longer liberal. Consequently, it is no longer enough to analyze America's current trajectory through the simple prism of decline vs. progress, which assumes a static model--America as liberal leviathan.Brief description: Bruno Macães is a senior advisor at Flint Global, where he advises some of the world's leading companies on geopolitics and technology, as well as a columnist for the New Statesman. He is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations and was the Secretary of State for European Affairs in Portugal during the eurozone crisis. His books include The Dawn of Eurasia, Belt and Road, History Has Begun and, Geopolitics for the End Time.