From a prizewinning writer, a sweeping global history of the birth of nation-states and the consequences of their failure, for fans of Thomas Piketty and Timothy Snyder

Around the world, nation-states are in crisis. From the continued fracturing of post-Trump American politics to the rise of neo-fascism in Germany to ethno-religious nationalism in India, governments worldwide appear to be traveling an unprecedented path of destabilization, as the post–World War II political order unravels and all of us feel the consequences.

Rana Dasgupta offers us the definitive global history of the nation-state and the roots of its instability. Taking us through the rise and fall of empires, centuries of European conquest and colonialization, the ascent of authoritarian regimes, and the conflicts that define today’s world, Dasgupta shows us that political crises and civil unrest do not occur in a vacuum and uncovers the complicated ties linking the declines of nation-states to one another. Through astute political and historical analysis, he posits that the time has come to imagine an alternative to the nation-state system—one that corresponds to the globalized and deeply interconnected political reality we now live in.

Richly detailed, urgent, and told with remarkable clarity, After Nations is an essential text for anyone looking to understand how we arrived at our current moment of global political chaos—and what our world might look like if nation-states cease to be.