Book excerpt: The traditional rules-based system of the West, which has yielded peace dividends for many decades, now faces challenges from an emerging new world order. Building upon the themes introduced in Grandjean and Tan's Financial Times Readers' Best 2021 Summer Books, Values at the Core: How Human Values Contribute to the Rise of Nations, this book adopts a fresh perspective, examining historical precedents while charting a course for the future. Through accessible economic and social analyses of 12 nations, it offers insights into potential pathways forward.