America was the shining city on a hill. It was the country at the forefront of the world democratic order, the global policeman, the might of its military matched only by the depth of its financial reserves. America was the one the world listened to, whether it wanted to or not. So what happened?

Well, a lot of things. In this searing account, Alan Friedman shows how, from the disastrous Vietnam War to Barack Obama's bungled response to the Arab Spring, American intervention is no longer the decisive action it once was. And now, with the rise of China and Russia, coupled with America's prostration of itself following the election of Donald Trump, the decline of its authority is only hastening.

We move now, Friedman argues, into the New World Disorder. In this dangerous and unstable world, the Washington-enforced liberal order is receding, and a new set of anxieties and alliances are in ascendance. What is America's place in this? Which powers will emerge as leaders? Will the European Union count at all? We know one thing: the New World Disorder will challenge Western values to breaking point.