The Coming Storm: Why 2026 Looks a Lot Like 1914 | Odd Arne Westad

The podcast explores parallels between the pre-World War I era and today's world, cautioning against viewing current conflicts through a Cold War lens. It highlights the shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world, intensified economic competition, and rising resentments among populations as key similarities. The discussion emphasizes the failure to integrate rising powers like Germany then and China now into international frameworks. The conversation also draws parallels between Austria-Hungary's relationship with Germany and Russia's current alignment with China, as well as Britain's pre-WWI reluctance to uphold the international system and the present-day United States. Odd Arne Westad, a historian of the Cold War and East Asia, shares insights from his book, "The Coming Storm," to highlight these warnings from history.