Carlos Gaspar, senior researcher at the Portuguese Institute of International Relations (IPRI NOVA) and political advisor to the first three elected Presidents of the Portuguese Republic between 1977 and 2006 commented on the book:

“Kenneth Maxwell is the doyen of historians of the revolution, decolonization and Portuguese democracy and as such was honored at the conferences held in Portugal and Brazil to commemorate the 50th anniversary of 25 April.”

In 2024, Maxwell travelled to Brazil, to the United States and to Portugal to give three keynote lectures at three different occasions. The first was done in the University of São Paulo (USP) and focused on the international dimension of the Portuguese revolution in 1974.

He would return to that theme but explore additional dimensions in his keynote presentation at an October 2024 conference in Lisbon.

And in between, he would return to Harvard University and participate in an international colloquium on Luso-Brazilian Art and Literature. His lecture focused on a subject which encompassed how the rebuilding of Lisbon after the great earthquake in 1755 fit into to the rebuilding of two other greater European cities, namely London and Paris.

This book contains the full text of these lectures along with associated materials with regard to the conferences themselves.

Each lecture is presented in a separate chapter and after that chapter, which is provided in English, the next chapter provides the same material in Portuguese.

The book begins with a prologue essay which Dr. Maxwell wrote after visiting Portugal in 1964. This essay provides a sense of Portugal a decade before the 1974 revolution.

Carlos Gaspar highlighted the importance of the book: “Kenneth Maxwell returns to these themes in his latest interventions on the Portuguese revolution published in this book, which also includes an essay on Portugal written in October 1964, as well as historical essays on relations between Portugal and Brazil and on the reconstruction of London, Lisbon and Paris in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries respectively, uniting the Marquis of Pombal and the Baron of Haussmann in the same class of visionaries who restored the capital of the state after a catastrophe – the Lisbon earthquake in 1755 and the Paris Commune in 1871.”

And he concluded his forward to the book as follows:

“E. H. Carr wrote that facts without their historian are dead and meaningless. Kenneth Maxwell has ensured that the first democratic revolution of the 20th century and its international consequences are alive and kicking.”

This podcast was generated by NotebookLM and has insights and some limitations associated with an AI tool.

Perspectives on Portuguese History: The 2024 Lectures by Professor Kenneth Maxwell

The paradigm shift in maritime operations involves moving away from concentrating power in capital ships to distributing capabilities across a network of assets. Distributed Maritime Effects (DME) are the effects created by this distributed force, often independent of or supplemental to traditional capital ship operations which are increasingly focused on distributed maritime operations.

The book highlights the move from traditional capital ship-centric warfare to a distributed, kill web-enabled force. It highlights the importance of integrating autonomous systems and modular capabilities for enhanced combat effectiveness.

Distributed maritime effects will increasingly be created by the use of non-capital ship maritime assets. Air and sea autonomous systems coupled with manned air will generate a core combined capability to deliver the kinds of combat clusters which can create distributed maritime effects supplemental to or independent of the operation of capital ships themselves.

The book explores the potential of maritime autonomous systems (MAS) to deliver distributed maritime operations (DMO) effects. The book also focuses on how the legacy shipbuilding approach contrasts with innovative, modular approaches for rapidly building and deploying naval forces.

The book argues for a rethinking of maritime strategy that embraces autonomous technologies, distributed forces, and innovative acquisition models.

The Emergence of the Multi-Polar Authoritarian World paints a picture of a complex and rapidly changing global landscape.

This book examines the shift from the post-Cold War liberal democratic order to what the authors describe as a “multi-polar authoritarian world.” The collection spans articles published between 2009 and 2024, analyzing how authoritarian powers like Russia, China, and North Korea have gained global influence while challenging Western liberal democratic values and institutions.

Key Themes

1. The End of the “End of History”: The book challenges Francis Fukuyama’s famous thesis that liberal democracy represented the endpoint of humanity’s ideological evolution. Instead, it documents the rise of competitive authoritarian systems.
2. Russia’s Evolution Under Putin: Several chapters examine how Putin reconstructed Russian power and identity after the collapse of the Soviet Union, positioning Russia as a counterbalance to Western influence.
3. China’s Global Strategy: The book analyzes China’s economic and geopolitical expansion through initiatives like Belt and Road, technology transfer, and strategic investments that have created a form of “informal empire.”
4. North Korea’s Nuclear Strategy: Essays track how North Korea transformed from a regional irritant to a nuclear power with global influence through strategic partnerships with other authoritarian states.
5. European Fragmentation: The migration crisis and other stress points have weakened European unity and created openings for authoritarian influence.
6. American Strategic Missteps: The book critiques U.S. policy decisions, particularly the focus on “endless wars” in the Middle East that diverted attention and resources from addressing the rise of competitive authoritarian powers.

The book is organized thematically around major global players and flashpoints. Particularly valuable is its inclusion of perspectives from diverse authors over a 15-year timespan, allowing readers to see how analyses evolved as events unfolded.

The final section on “flash points” examines specific events like 9/11, the Iraq War, and Russian intervention in Syria as strategic inflection points that accelerated the shift toward a multi-polar authoritarian world.

“The Emergence of the Multi-Polar Authoritarian World” provides a valuable historical record and analysis of a major geopolitical shift. It challenges comfortable Western assumptions about the inevitability of liberal democratic triumph and offers a sobering assessment of the current global landscape. The book would be valuable for policymakers, international relations scholars, and anyone seeking to understand the complex challenges facing liberal democracies today.

As Brian Morra, a noted strategic analyst and author wrote about the book:

“This book takes a look backward at the factors and forces that created the world in which we now live. It provides a rear-view mirror image of how the multi-polar, authoritarian world came to be. It describes how the post-war Western system has become less credible and less important to the global south and to an aggressive collection of authoritarian regimes.

“These countries – pariahs, emergent global south economies, and important regional powers – have created a shadow, parallel universe of economic, trade, and political institutions that is only vaguely appreciated by foreign policy elites in Washington. This parallel order explains why Western economic sanctions do not have the ‘bite’ that they once did. It explains how Russia has been able to sell its oil and gas despite extreme measures to prevent such sales on the part of the West.

“Our foreign policy elite grew up in a world characterized by two epoch-shaping events: the end of the Cold War and the 9/11 shock and resultant two decades of counter-terror war. It is no surprise that many of our officials are stuck in the mental amber of America’s unipolar moment and the tactical exigencies of the post-9/11 wars. They are accustomed to a United States that is the unquestioned global leader, able to dictate its own terms to the world, and willing to back up those terms with extreme sanctions and awesome military force when required or desired.”

Morra concludes about the importance of the book: “The book provides a significant contribution to our understanding of how we came to live in a multi-polar, authoritarian world. I urge you to read it and ponder its many lessons.”