In elaborating this critique, Todd is among the few European intellectuals to echo a diagnosis of technological stagnation similar to those of Americans such as Robert Gordon, Peter Thiel, and Tyler Cowen. The extraordinary development of information technology should have sparked a Promethean sense of agency across society and among elites. Instead, both leaders and people have, each in their own ways, lost faith in the future, with definite optimism giving way to debilitating passivism. Todd suggests that no past technological break­through has induced such complacency as that which has confined technological progress to such a narrow cone as IT...

archive link: https://archive.ph/4XuVz Long read so here’s a summary:

The Ukraine War has revealed several surprises:

War returned to Europe despite expectations of permanent peace The conflict primarily involves the US and Russia rather than European powers Ukraine showed unexpected resilience Russia demonstrated economic resilience against sanctions Europe showed geopolitical and economic passivity

According to Todd, the European Union’s problems stem from the Maastricht Treaty, which:

Led to deindustrialization Created a quasi-religious faith in the euro Resulted in loss of national sovereignty Produced political passivity and resignation among citizens Encouraged elites to reject nationalism in favor of “Europeanism”

On the United States, Todd argues:

America has transitioned from world’s factory to world’s largest consumer The US is losing its technological edge to China in several areas The dollar’s global dominance may be threatened by BRICS expansion and de-dollarization efforts American education is declining, particularly in STEM fields The decline of Protestantism has removed the moral center of American power

Todd’s analysis of Western decline includes several factors:

The rise of neoliberalism has led to destruction of industries and social structures Educational regression in the West Loss of industrial capacity Increasing inequality and social atomization Technology stagnation outside of IT

The reviewer notes that Todd’s main weakness is excessive pessimism that may overlook possibilities for renewal and adaptation in an uncertain era. This 2024 book appears to synthesize Todd’s long-standing contrarian views about Western decline, particularly focusing on how the Ukraine war has exposed underlying weaknesses in Western economic and political systems.