The Triangle of Power

Praise

“It is rare for a foreign policy practitioner to write a profound work of scholarship, but Alexander Stubb has done just that. He identifies the central weakness in the international system today and has an ingenious plan to address it.” Fareed Zakaria, CNN

“This book could not be more timely or necessary in an era of geopolitical upheaval and turmoil. Finnish President Alexander Stubb draws on his skills as a political analyst and his unique insights as a prominent statesman to lay out a path toward a new international system. President Stubb reminds us that we all have agency as citizens and offers an eloquent, heartfelt, and inspiring exhortation to individual and collective action in defense of democracy and the beleaguered ideal of global cooperation.” Fiona Hill, senior fellow, The Brookings Institution, former senior director for Europe and Russia at the US National Security Council

“Alexander Stubb is one of the most incisive, experienced, and thoughtful political leaders in Europe today. In this book, he argues that we are at a moment in history as important as 1918, 1945, or 1989, and need a ‘values-based realism’ to confront the challenges that confront us from the east, the south, and now the west as well. One can only hope that Europe will listen to his advice.” Timothy Garton Ash, author of Homelands: A Personal History of Europe

“At a moment of transition in international affairs from the post-Cold War order to an uncertain new system, President Alexander Stubb has provided Europe and the world with a precise diagnosis of how we got to his moment of disorder, and a cogent and compelling prescription for how we can rebalance and thereby create a new world order. Informed by his dignified foreign policy guided by values-based realism, Stubb’s The Triangle of Power provides a fresh, pragmatic, and optimistic vision for a new grand strategy for international relations anchored in cooperative multilateralism, but of benefit to all in the Global North, Global East, and the Global South. At a time when illiberal nationalism seems ascendant in Europe and the United States, Stubb’s clarion call for a reformed liberal internationalism is exactly what the world needs.” Michael McFaul, author of From Cold War to Hot Peace

“History hath returned, and with a vengeance. In The Triangle of Power, Alexander Stubb deftly argues what comes after the postwar liberal order will be determined by the struggle for power between the West, East, and South. Informed by his unique blend of academic analysis and political acumen, President Stubb makes a compelling case that the West can only secure a future guided by freedom, democracy, and cooperation if it manages to persuade the rest of the world of its merits. This book is a passionate call to action from a hardened practitioner who, despite being on the front lines of some of the twenty-first century’s fiercest geopolitical battles, understands that the path toward a more stable global order runs through greater empathy rather than force.” Ian Bremmer, political scientist, author, and president of Eurasia Group

“This is not than just another book on world politics—it is the quintessential guide to the new world disorder from the ultimate scholar-statesman. In The Triangle of Power, Stubb delivers an unflinching analysis of the seismic geopolitical shifts reshaping today’s global order. Stubb takes readers inside the corridors of power, drawing from firsthand encounters with world leaders like Putin, Trump and Xi. Bursting with gripping anecdotes and razor-sharp insights, this is the must-read playbook for navigating the chaos ahead.” Mark Leonard, director of the European Council on Foreign Relations

“A brief but weighty treatise of much interest to geopolitics watchers.” Kirkus Reviews

“This is a bold attempt at a geopolitical synthesis by one of those rare scholars who can not only talk the talk but also walk the walk in the corridors of power—not to mention play golf with President Trump himself.” Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family senior fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford

“Alexander Stubb is a rare, perhaps unique, figure who manages to combine the role of head of state and public intellectual. As president of Finland, he has become an important voice speaking out for Europe and describing the challenges ahead. In his new book he describes the emerging new world order with insight and authority.” Gideon Rachman, associate editor and chief foreign affairs commentator, Financial Times

“Alexander Stubb provides a thoughtful and challenging account of the seismic changes underway in the global order. These changes make a compelling case for an inclusive multilateralism founded on the principles of the United Nations Charter and underpinned by faithful adherence by all countries to international law. At a time when the world is confronting the existential threat of climate change, growing inequality, conflict and instability, human happiness and progress depends more than ever on cooperation between nations and peoples. As this book makes plain, we need a world order in which the rights and interests of the vulnerable can no longer be trampled beneath the ambitions of the powerful.” Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa

“If I was asked to choose any leader in Europe to lead a discussion of the state of the world, I would choose Alex Stubb. He has the breadth of experience, the intellectual reach and the clarity of thought to analyze for all of us what is really going on. His thoughts on a world moving from order to disorder could not be more timely or relevant as old certainties fall away. And his reminder that we have agency—that we can do something about the disordered world before it disintegrates—is vital advice that should help stir us all into action. This is a book that policymakers and the public need to read.” William Hague, Rt. Hon. The Lord Hague of Richmond

“With the background and perspective of former Member of the European Parliament, Foreign and Prime Minister of Finland and now also President of his country Alexander Stubb is uniquely positioned to reflect on our world in turmoil. And he rightly argues that the next few years will decide the direction—is a new, more realistic but still multilateral global order possible? Much will be decided, he argues, by whether the Global West can answer also to the aspirations of the Global South. A book not only worth reading but also reflecting on.” Carl Bildt, cochair of ECFR Council, former prime minister and former foreign minister of Sweden

“Alexander Stubb’s important work could not have come at a more important moment. As the world undergoes tectonic geopolitical shifts that will shape the international landscape for years to come, Alex draws on his deep knowledge of history, his expertise in interpreting global power dynamics, and his experience on the frontlines of diplomacy to offer guidance for understanding and navigating today’s challenging context. There is no scholar or practitioner of foreign policy better suited to bringing clarity to this complex and consequential period for the world.” Børge Brende, president and CEO of World Economic Forum, former foreign minister of Norway