Overview

The United States is the dominant world power today, but that has not always been the case. Great Britain, Rome, and ancient Sumer were also once leaders in their time, but their empires dissolved into history. Societies have risen and fallen since prehistoric times; but what drives this leadership change? Innovation drives leadership change. It turns out that just fourteen transformative innovations have driven leadership change since the dawn of civilization. Some innovations changed the way resources are managed; some changed the environment; others gave a military or wealth advantage to a society. Whenever a society embraced one of those innovations early it gained leadership power over rivals. In the 21st century new transformative innovations will emerge. They will have the power to change the world order in a way not seen since the birth of the nation-state 500 years ago. Everything we understand about the relative power of nations is up for grabs. However, knowing what these next transformative innovations are can stabilize the world, and help us to avoid the turmoil historically associated with power shifts. While knowing which innovations drive leadership change is of inestimable value, another insight may be even more profound: the competition to be the leader has been the primary driver of human societal progress. This insight unlocks the mystery behind why societies behave as they do, why nation-building efforts have tended to fail, what to do in Syria, and why the best hope for stability in Afghanistan may rest in restoring its monarchy. World Leadership uses this insight to craft a framework, and a hope for doing things smarter in the future by working from an informed perspective.

Full Product Details

9780999238820

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Reviews

""A major work of historical and political insight, World Leadership provides an informed and informative framework for understanding the evolution of human history, as well as contemporary and rational extrapolations as to what can be expected over the next several decades as technological innovation and a continued globalization impact upon current nation states and international relations."" --Midwest Book Review ""An interesting and enjoyable look at the history of cultural leadership and societal advancement, as well as what the future may hold... I would have liked to have had this book in 2004 prior to my first tour in Afghanistan. It would have helped me better understand many of the cultural leadership and governance challenges I faced and maybe altered my actions in dealing with Afghan leaders. A must read for US military and civilian leaders engaged in the developing world."" --Major General Blake C. Ortner, U.S. Army

"""A major work of historical and political insight, World Leadership provides an informed and informative framework for understanding the evolution of human history, as well as contemporary and rational extrapolations as to what can be expected over the next several decades as technological innovation and a continued globalization impact upon current nation states and international relations."" --Midwest Book Review ""An interesting and enjoyable look at the history of cultural leadership and societal advancement, as well as what the future may hold... I would have liked to have had this book in 2004 prior to my first tour in Afghanistan. It would have helped me better understand many of the cultural leadership and governance challenges I faced and maybe altered my actions in dealing with Afghan leaders. A must read for US military and civilian leaders engaged in the developing world."" --Major General Blake C. Ortner, U.S. Army"

A major work of historical and political insight, World Leadership provides an informed and informative framework for understanding the evolution of human history, as well as contemporary and rational extrapolations as to what can be expected over the next several decades as technological innovation and a continued globalization impact upon current nation states and international relations. --Midwest Book Review An interesting and enjoyable look at the history of cultural leadership and societal advancement, as well as what the future may hold... I would have liked to have had this book in 2004 prior to my first tour in Afghanistan. It would have helped me better understand many of the cultural leadership and governance challenges I faced and maybe altered my actions in dealing with Afghan leaders. A must read for US military and civilian leaders engaged in the developing world. --Major General Blake C. Ortner, U.S. Army

Author Information

NEIL HAMBLIN is the Owner/President of STRATLOG, a strategy and logistics consulting firm. He has been a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and several government agencies. He has authored or contributed to several government reports. In 2006, he was on a project in Iraq and saw the challenges the U.S. and its allies faced at nation-building. He sensed that a holistic understanding of how societies develop was missing, and needed. He is a former Marine Corps Officer, holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and has an MBA from Northwestern University. He lives in the Washington D.C. metro area.

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