Lessons from the Past, Warnings for the Future: Yale Historian Odd Westad

Join us at Athena Books for a timely and thought-provoking conversation with renowned Yale historian Odd Arne Westad, author of . Westad will be joined in conversation by Jen Bird, owner of Athena Books, for a discussion of the growing tensions among the world’s Great Powers, the striking parallels between our own era and the years leading up to the world wars, and most importantly, what history can teach us about avoiding the mistakes of the past.

In The Coming Storm, named a best book of the year by The Economist and Foreign Affairs, Westad argues that after decades of relative global stability, we are entering a more fragile and unpredictable era. Competition among Great Powers is intensifying, nationalism and populism are on the rise, and conflicts over trade, technology, immigration, and regional dominance echo an earlier period of profound international upheaval.

But history is not destiny. By looking closely at how past conflicts developed, and at the choices that made confrontation more or less likely, Westad offers a framework for understanding the present and thinking more constructively about the future.

We hope you’ll join us for a fascinating and deeply relevant conversation about history, power, and how understanding where we’ve been can help us change where we’re going.

Please note: Doors open at 6:30pm and the event begins at 7pm. Please plan to arrive on time so you can fully enjoy the evening. To help preserve the intimate atmosphere, doors will close at 7:15pm, and we won’t be able to admit guests after that time. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Odd Arne Westad is the Elihu Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale University. He is a scholar of modern international and global history, with a specialization in the history of eastern Asia since the eighteenth century. Westad is the author of The Global Cold War, which won the Bancroft Prize, and Restless Empire, winner of the Asia Society Book Award. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.