The Fractured Age
How the Return of Geopolitics Will Splinter the Global Economy
by Neil Shearing
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Pub Date 28 Aug 2025 | Archive Date 24 Sep 2025
John Murray Press US | John Murray Business
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Description
THE LEADING FORECAST ON THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF US TRADE TARIFFS
'An exceptionally sensible, clear-headed and original thinker' The Financial Times
'A very timely book on the new, fractured world'***** The Sunday Times
'The best book on the future of the global economy'***** The International Economy
The tectonic plates of the global order are shifting, creating new pressures that will strain long-standing financial structures.
BUT WHERE WILL THE WORLD'S NEW ECONOMIC FAULT LINES EMERGE?
AND HOW DISRUPTIVE WILL THEY BE?
In a clear and far-reaching reckoning, The Fractured Age lays bare the threats and opportunities that will shape the world economy over the coming decade. It charts the emergence of geopolitical blocs in a world undergoing profound change - blocs whose relative size and economic diversity will be pivotal in reordering everything from goods trade and investment flows to technology transfers and access to critical minerals.
As the world enters another period of seismic upheaval and a new global order emerges, understanding which economies will benefit, and which will bear the costs, will be critical for effective decision-making throughout boardrooms and the halls of government.
As Chief Economist of one of the world's leading providers of independent macroeconomic and market research, Neil Shearing lays out a stark vision of the peaks and rifts that will unfold, and how they will fundamentally reshape the global economy in this fractured age.
As seen on Bloomberg, BBC News, CNN, Channel 4 News and in The Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and The Guardian
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781399825726 |
| PRICE | £25.00 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 288 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Debbie J, Reviewer
Excellent and contemporary reference to the geopolitical landscape including the first impacts of Trump second term. Insightful, thoughtful and a great source of information and considerations for the future. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.
Sarah J, Reviewer
Book Review: The Fractured Age: How the Return of Geopolitics Will Splinter the Global Economy by Neil Shearing
A Provocative Lens on a World Coming Apart at the Seams
Neil Shearing’s The Fractured Age is a timely, incisive examination of how resurgent geopolitics is dismantling the fragile architecture of global economic interdependence. With the precision of an economist and the narrative flair of a seasoned geopolitical analyst, Shearing maps the fault lines—from trade wars to resource nationalism—that threaten to fracture the world into competing blocs. This is not just a forecast of doom but a masterclass in connecting dots across history, policy, and human ambition.
Key Strengths
-Analytical Depth: Shearing avoids simplistic doomscrolling, offering nuanced case studies (e.g., semiconductor rivalries, energy weaponization) that reveal how economic tools have become geopolitical cudgels.
-Accessible Complexity: Despite its dense subject matter, the prose remains engaging, balancing data with vivid analogies (e.g., comparing supply chains to “glass rivers” — strong until shattered).
-Prescient Warnings: The book’s 2025 publication feels eerily prophetic, especially its analysis of how middle powers like India and Brazil might exploit great-power tensions.
Potential Considerations
-Density: Some sections demand rereading to grasp layered arguments—less a flaw than a reflection of the material’s complexity.
-Solutions Lightness: While diagnosing fractures brilliantly, the book offers fewer concrete pathways to repair them, leaving readers craving actionable optimism.
Score Breakdown (Out of 5)
-Research: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – Meticulously sourced, with a global scope.
-Clarity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Complex ideas distilled, if not always effortlessly.
-Originality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5) – Fresh angles on familiar crises.
-Urgency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – Reads like a dispatch from the near future.
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5) – Like a geopolitical MRI—revealing every hairline crack in the system.
Ideal Audience
-Policy wonks and economics students seeking a global perspective.
-Business leaders navigating volatile trade landscapes.
-Anyone unsettled by headlines about deglobalization.
Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Neil Shearing for the advance review copy. The Fractured Age is the rare book that clarifies chaos without trivializing it.
Final Verdict
Shearing’s work is essential reading for understanding the 21st century’s defining tension: a world economically bound but politically divided. While its weighty analysis may daunt casual readers, its insights linger like the aftershocks of an earthquake—undeniable and transformative.
Note: This review reflects the ARC edition; minor changes may appear in the final publication.
