**AN ECONOMIST AND THE TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR**''Essential and definitive'' CATHERINE BELTON, author of PUTIN''S PEOPLEWe are in a new era.From Trump, Putin and Bolsonaro to Erdogan, Xi and Modi, self-styled strongmen have become a central feature of global politics. At home, they claim to be standing up for ordinary people against ''globalist'' elites; abroad, they posture as the embodiment of their nation. And everywhere they go, they encourage a cult of personality.How and why did this new style of authoritarian leadership arrive? How likely is it to lead the world into war and economic collapse? And what liberal forces are in place, not only to keep these strongmen in check but to reverse the trend? The Age of the Strongman explores these essential questions and offers a bold new portrait of our world.''TIMELY, LASER-SHARP... A MUST-READ'' PETER FRANKOPAN''FORCEFUL... A BOOK WHOSE SIGNIFICANCE IS ENHANCED BY UNPREDICTABLE EVENTS'' MISHA GLENNY''WIDE-RANGING AND ASTUTE'' THE ECONOMIST