The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization - Hardcover

"Thomas Homer-Dixon [is] one of the best-in-formed and most brilliant writers on global affairs today." - THE GUARDIAN "Homer-Dixon succeeds admirably...in explaining exactly why modern stresses are so worrisome and the outcome that neglect could cause." - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY "Anyone who wants to get serious about the defense of civilization had better read The Upside of Down." - JAMES HOWARD KUNSTLER, AUTHOR OF THE LONG EMERGENCY AND THE GEOGRAPHY OF NOWHERE "For over a decade, Thomas Homer-Dixon has provided that rare thing: a bridge between leading-edge research and the lay reader." - ROBERT D. KAPLAN, AUTHOR OF IMPERIAL GRUNTS AND BALKAN GHOSTS"

In this groundbreaking exploration of crisis and revival, Thomas Homer-Dixon argues that the modern world has become increasingly vulnerable to breakdown - whether from terrorist attacks, environmental disasters, energy scarcity, or the widening gap between rich and poor. But it is also ripe for renewal. Although recent disasters have caused tremendous suffering, they have taught us how we can reinvigorate the economic, political, and social systems that sustain us. Collapse and upheaval are always terrifying. "The Upside of Down" shows how they can also catalyze the renewal of our societies and our lives.