Environmental disasters. Terrorist wars. Energy scarcity. Economic failure. Is this the world's inevitable fate, a downward spiral that ultimately spells the collapse of societies? Perhaps, says acclaimed author Thomas Homer-Dixon - or perhaps these crises can actually lead to renewal for ourselves and planet earth.
The Upside of Down takes the reader on a mind-stretching tour of societies' management, or mismanagement, of disasters over time. From the demise of ancient Rome to contemporary climate change, this spellbinding book analyzes what happens when multiple crises compound to cause what the author calls ""synchronous failure."" But, crisis doesn't have to mean total global calamity. Through catagenesis, or creative, bold reform in the wake of breakdown, it is possible to reinvent our future.
Drawing on the worlds of archeology, poetry, politics, science, and economics, The Upside of Down is certain to provoke controversy and stir imaginations across the globe. The author's wide-ranging expertise makes his insights and proposals particularly acute, as people of all nations try to grapple with how we can survive tomorrow's inevitable shocks to our global system. There is no guarantee of success, but there are ways to begin thinking about a better world, and The Upside of Down is the ideal place to start thinking.
C O N T E N T S prologue Firestorm 1 one Tectonic Stresses 11 two A Keystone in Time 33 three We Are like Running Water 59 four So Long, Cheap Slaves 79 five Earthquake 103 six Flesh of the Land 131 seven Closing the Windows 155 eight No Equilibrium 179 nine Cycles within Cycles 209 ten Disintegration 237 eleven Catagenesis 267 twelve Baalbek: The Last Rock 299 Notes 311 Illustration Credits 427 Acknowledgments 437 Index 439 Home_0676977227_1p_all_r1.qxp 6/29/06 1:25 PM Page viii
""2006 Gold Medal Winner: Political Science Book of the Year""
' Choice
""Thomas Homer-Dixon [is] one of the best-informed and most brilliant writers on global affairs today.""
' Guardian
""Homer-Dixon succeeds admirably in explaining exactly why modern stresses are so worrisome and the outcome that neglect could cause.""
' Publishers Weekly
""Anyone who wants to get serious about the defense of civilization had better read The Upside of Down.""
' James Howard Kunstler, author of ""The Long Emergency"" and ""The Geography of Nowhere""
""For over a decade, Thomas Homer-Dixon has provided that rare thing: a bridge between leading-edge research and the lay reader. Now, addressing the greatest problems of our time, he points us towards a path forward.""
' Robert D. Kaplan, author of ""Imperial Grunts"" and ""Balkan Ghosts""
""Anyone who doubts the seriousness of the human predicament should read Thomas Homer-Dixon's brilliant The Upside of Down. Anyone who understands the seriousness should also read it for Homer-Dixon's insightful ideas about how to make society more resilient in the face of near inevitable environmental and social catastrophes.""
' Paul R. Ehrlich, coauthor of ""One with Ninevah: Politics, Consumption, and the Human Future""
