ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is a warning about the likely consequences of disintegrative tendencies in the global political economy. It is vital to formulate this warning in a self-critical manner. The book argues that the possibility of global military catastrophe is real and increasingly likely (a global ecological catastrophe is equally likely, but not the focus of this book). It highlights that the dynamics of global political economy are key. The book explores the world-historical mechanisms and processes that have created the conditions for our current predicament while simultaneously involving the potential for better futures. It focuses on disintegrative tendencies within the EU, itself an integral part of the world economy. Similar mechanisms and tendencies are in effect across the world, as is evident from the prominence of nationalist–populist political leaders - Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump etc.
