We often think of the modern era as the age of American power. In reality, we're living in a long, violent Eurasian century. Eurasia is a strategic prize without equal-which is why the world has been roiled, reshaped and nearly destroyed by clashes over the supercontinent.

Since the early twentieth century, autocratic powers-from Germany to the Soviet Union-have aspired for dominance by seizing commanding positions in the world's strategic heartland. Offshore sea powers, namely the United Kingdom and America, have sought to make the world safe for democracy by keeping Eurasia in balance. America's rivalries with China, Russia and Iran are the next round in this geopolitical game.

Hal Brands argues that a better understanding of Eurasia's strategic geography can illuminate the contours of rivalry and conflict in today's world. The Eurasian Century explains how revolutions in technology and warfare and the rise of toxic ideologies of conquest made Eurasia the centre of twentieth-century geopolitics-with pressing implications for the struggles that will define the twenty-first.