American Foreign Policy Council

The New Imperialists: How China, Russia and Iran are trying to remake the world

December 1, 2025 Herman Pirchner, Jr., Ilan I. Berman American Foreign Policy Council
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Today, a new axis of autocrats is trying to reshape the world order and sideline the United States in international affairs. The New Imperialists delivers eye-opening details of how three major global players-Russia, China, and Iran-are working with each other and with key allies, such as North Korea and Venezuela, to unseat the U.S. as a global leader. The challenge is profound and requires both leadership and action from Washington.

The New Imperialists is a remarkably important outline of the scale of the challenge facing America. . . There are details in this book which will be eye opening even for those of us who have been working on national security for a long time.

  • The Honorable Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

Much has been written about the threats to the U.S. posed by Russia, China and Iran. Pirchner and Berman make a unique contribution by connecting the dots among the three, and by offering an invaluable perspective on their long history as imperial powers. They are equally compelling in their recommendations on how the U.S. can counter these threats.

  • The Honorable Ryan C. Crocker, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and Lebanon. Board Chair, Middle East Broadcasting Networks

Pirchner and Berman are laying out a pivotal historical question: After centuries of citizen-based democracies becoming stronger and building peaceful alliances with each other, are authoritarians with visions of ruling over others making a comeback? The answer is "yes" - but it is not game over. By documenting how the imperialists are gaining ground, they also point the way forward.

  • The Honorable Kurt Volker, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and former U.S. Representative for Ukraine Negotiations

In The New Imperialists, Pirchner and Berman expertly diagnose and then proscribe solutions to deal with the preeminent foreign policy challenge of the 21st Century - the rise of totalitarian, expansionist dictatorships working together to threaten our security, prosperity and freedom. . . The New Imperialists is an indispensable call to action.

  • Josh Rogin, Lead Global Security Analyst, WP Intelligence, Author, Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the 21st Century (Mariner Books, 2021

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