Admiral James Stavridis on “2034: A Novel of the Next World War”

A conversation with Admiral James Stavridis, USN (Ret.), the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, as he discussed his new book, 2034: A Novel of the Next World War.

2034, co-authored with Elliot Ackerman, describes how today’s political, economic and technological conditions could erupt into the next world war. What happens in the book is not beyond the realm of possibility. Experts have said that Pearl Harbor, 9/11 and even the COVID-19 pandemic were failures of imagination. Today, imagination is a national security imperative, and 2034 is a cautionary tale of what could happen if our leaders do not anticipate future challenges.

Admiral Stavridis spent more than 35 years in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of four-star Admiral. He was the Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and commanded U.S. Southern Command, overseeing military operations in Latin America. At sea, he commanded a Navy destroyer, a destroyer squadron, and an aircraft carrier battle group in combat. He holds a Ph.D. from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he recently served five years as dean. He is currently an Operating Executive of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm, and chairman of the Board of Counselors of McLarty Global Associates, an international consulting firm.