A vital exploration of international conflict and world affairs, through the lens of a timeless force: geography.

The world is a battleground again. Across continents and oceans, the great-power peace that followed the Cold War is over: Russia threatens to expand; America's global leadership is in question; China exercises its soaring ambitions on land and sea. The Landscape of Power shows that navigating this new moment will require embracing the strategic power of geography?that most timeless, unforgiving force in global affairs. From the unique position of Ukraine?at the crossroads of a resource-rich Eurasian heartland, an economically dynamic Europe, and a commanding perch on the Black Sea?to oceanic chokepoints from the South China Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, historian Hal Brands carries readers across the tumultuous global landscape to shed light on today's fundamental strategic quandaries. At the opening of a new age of turbulence, The Landscape of Power revives a geographical way of thinking?and offers a guide to navigating the trying times ahead.