Us vs Them

What happens when people begin to feel the world is stacked against them? When every economic setback, every cultural change, and every new technology seems to threaten your way of life—it’s easy to start asking, “Who’s really winning here?” In Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism, political scientist Ian Bremmer dives deep into this question and reveals how frustration and fear have created our current era of division—an age when national, racial, and social boundaries harden, and trust in institutions erodes.

Bremmer argues that globalism—the optimistic belief that worldwide interconnection and open borders would benefit everyone—has not lived up to its promise. Yes, globalization has lifted over a billion people out of poverty, he acknowledges. But it’s also created a new class of people who feel locked out and betrayed: those who watched the world change and left them behind. The anger that propelled Donald Trump’s rise, fueled Brexit, and sparked populist movements from Brazil to Turkey is, for Bremmer, not a passing phase but a defining fault line of 21st-century politics.

From Global Optimism to Global Fragmentation

Globalization was supposed to make the world fairer. Bremmer traces how policymakers and business elites embraced free trade and open borders, convinced that everyone would prosper through cooperation. Yet while corporations and investors thrived, ordinary workers faced vanishing jobs and downward pressure on wages. In communities from Appalachia to South Africa’s townships, the dream of upward mobility began to crumble. Feeling ignored and humiliated, people turned from ballots to protests—and sometimes to rocks, literally or metaphorically, to make themselves heard.

Bremmer draws on his experiences growing up in Chelsea, Massachusetts—a poor neighborhood overshadowed by Boston’s wealth—to illustrate the emotional gap between global elites and ordinary citizens. He believed, as many did, that hard work would guarantee success. But decades later, he finds even his own community seething with resentment, no longer convinced that education or effort can overcome systemic barriers. This story of disillusionment, Bremmer suggests, is happening everywhere—from Gaza to Appalachia, from Johannesburg to Jakarta.

The Anatomy of Division

Bremmer structures the book around the widening fissures that divide societies: economic, cultural, technological, and political. He sees a world split between winners and losers of globalization, where leaders exploit these divides by offering simple enemies—“the migrants,” “the bankers,” “the media,” “the elites.” He warns that these us-versus-them narratives are seductive because they give people someone to blame. Populists like Marine Le Pen in France or Erdogan in Turkey thrive by promising protection from outsiders and the restoration of lost pride.

The book maps these divides across continents. In developing countries such as India and Nigeria, Bremmer shows that economic frustration mixes with ethnic and religious tension. In wealthy nations, cultural anxiety about immigration and identity transforms into political polarization and conspiracy. Everywhere, the common thread is fear—the feeling that your community, job, or values are under siege.

Technology and Inequality: A New Fault Line

A major part of Bremmer’s argument concerns technology. He predicts that automation and artificial intelligence will devastate developing economies even more than advanced ones. While rich nations can invest in education and retraining, poorer states cannot. In places like India or Indonesia, millions of young workers will compete for fewer jobs as machines take over factories and service industries. This widening gap—between technologically adaptable societies and those left behind—creates fertile ground for resentment and extremism.

Bremmer likens this process to a geological fault line, invisible until it ruptures. Once the pressure builds—through unemployment, corruption, and inequality—political earthquakes follow. The Arab Spring, Brazil’s protests, and Venezuela’s collapse are examples of societies learning “geology the morning after the earthquake.”

Walls and Social Contracts: Two Paths Forward

Looking ahead, Bremmer identifies two possible responses: governments can build walls or rewrite the social contract. “Walls” mean literal and metaphorical barriers—border fences, protectionist policies, censorship, and digital control systems (like China’s social credit score). They offer short-term security but deepen inequality and paranoia. The “new deals,” by contrast, seek inclusive solutions like universal basic income, better education, and partnerships between government and the private sector. Bremmer highlights promising experiments in countries such as Finland, Singapore, and Brazil, proving that innovation isn’t limited to wealthier nations.

Ultimately, Bremmer argues that only empathy and honest reform can bridge the divide. Mocking populists or ignoring their followers means reinforcing the “us vs. them” dynamic that drives anger. Globalists must stop treating economic losers as statistical inconveniences and start addressing the real human cost of globalization’s failures. If they don’t, he warns, the world will keep building walls until democracy itself is walled off.

Why This Matters

The book’s relevance expands beyond politics—it’s about how fear reshapes the very idea of community. Bremmer challenges you to see that these divides aren’t “their problem” or “another country’s issue.” They’re reflections of universal human reactions to uncertainty. Like Yuval Noah Harari in Homo Deus or Thomas Friedman in The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Bremmer invites you to rethink progress itself: if globalism means leaving half the world behind, is it really progress?

With lucid storytelling and global examples, Us vs. Them gives you a panoramic view of a world at a crossroads. You can choose to ignore the tension—or, as Bremmer urges, to confront it and find ways to repair the broken promises of globalization. The question isn’t whether we live in an “us vs. them” world. It’s whether we can learn how to make “us” big enough to include everyone.

Bremmer’s first major focus is on the global surge of populism—the political revolt against perceived elites. In the United States, movements like Donald Trump’s campaign and Brexit in the UK reflect how economic frustration and cultural anxiety collide. Populists mobilize those who feel cheated, claiming to restore dignity to the 'forgotten.' This isn’t limited to the West: leaders from Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez to Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan have used similar populist appeals to consolidate power and reframe politics around “the people” versus “the establishment.”

The Populist Playbook

Populists master the art of division. They identify enemies—migrants, elites, journalists—and promise to protect citizens from them. Donald Trump’s declaration that “I alone can fix it” captures Bremmer’s concept perfectly: the leader becomes savior against corrupt outsiders. In Europe, parties like France’s National Front and Italy’s Five Star Movement deploy similar rhetoric. Populists replace detailed policy with emotional certainty, offering refuge in nationalism and nostalgia.

Cultural Anxiety and Economic Pain

Why do people embrace such figures? Bremmer emphasizes two intertwined forces: economic insecurity and cultural fear. Globalization has hollowed out traditional industries and erased jobs that once provided identity and meaning. At the same time, immigration and demographic shifts make many feel their communities are unrecognizable. The fear isn’t just financial—it’s existential. It’s about losing not only work but a sense of belonging.

In Brexit and Trump’s campaigns, Bremmer sees emotional narratives triumphing over data. People who believe elites in London or Washington care more about global markets than local suffering turn against them. Globalization becomes not a mutual benefit, but a betrayal.

Populism Beyond the West

In developing countries, populism takes on different flavors. In Venezuela, Chávez from the left and later Maduro used populism to redistribute wealth while silencing dissent. Erdogan in Turkey blended religion, nationalism, and resentment of secular elites to create his “us vs. them” dynamic. Even Russia’s Vladimir Putin employs populist symbolism—promising pride and stability amidst decline. These leaders capitalize on dissatisfaction while undermining institutions that could hold them accountable.

Populism's Paradox

Bremmer calls it democracy’s self-sabotage: populists win by exploiting democratic discontent, but once in power they often weaken democracy itself. The appeal of revenge becomes the engine of instability. (In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville warned of this exact cycle nearly two centuries ago.)

For Bremmer, understanding populism isn’t about condemning it—it’s about recognizing what it reveals. These movements hold a mirror to society’s failure to protect its most vulnerable. If globalism breeds exclusion without repair, populism will keep thriving—and democracy, as we know it, will keep eroding.

At the heart of Bremmer’s analysis is inequality—the invisible earthquake shaping modern politics. The gap between winners and losers of globalization is widening everywhere. Countries that once thrived on commodity exports or manufacturing now struggle as automation and shifting trade patterns devalue human labor. Bremmer’s case studies—from South Africa to Nigeria—illustrate how inequality fractures societies and turns economic frustration into us-versus-them anger.

South Africa’s Broken Promise

South Africa, Bremmer notes, was once the symbol of hope. After apartheid ended, Nelson Mandela’s leadership inspired dreams of equality. Yet 25 years later, the country remains one of the most unequal in the world. Youth unemployment among black South Africans hovers near 40 percent, and resentment grows against elites—both white businessmen and corrupt politicians in the African National Congress. The peaceful revolution has curdled into cynicism; young people compare their rulers not to Mandela but to Steve Bannon.

Nigeria: Wealth Without Progress

Nigeria offers another example. Despite being Africa’s largest economy, more than 65 percent of its population lives in poverty, while the richest man earns 8,000 times more per day than a poor citizen spends annually. Bremmer shows how oil dependence magnifies inequality. Revenues enrich elites while corruption erodes education and infrastructure. North-south religious divides and groups like Boko Haram turn economic disparity into armed rebellion—a literal fight between rich and poor, Christian and Muslim, north and south.

Brazil and Mexico: Middle-Class Revolt

Latin America’s problems resemble those in the West. In Brazil, populist governments raised millions into the middle class but couldn’t deliver functioning institutions. When corruption scandals and commodity crashes hit, citizens turned on politicians they once loved. In Mexico, low wages, corruption, and crime make people distrust every level of government. Bremmer describes how Andrés Manuel López Obrador emerged as a populist champion—promising to cleanse elites and reject U.S. interference. Economic despair becomes political fuel.

Across continents, Bremmer’s message is consistent: inequality doesn’t just hurt wallets—it undermines faith in democracy. When hard work no longer guarantees progress, people stop believing the system is fair. They revolt not only against policies but against the entire structure of global capitalism.

The next great disruptor in Bremmer’s narrative isn’t politics—but technology. Automation, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are rapidly redefining work. Bremmer calls this change “the next revolution,” warning that developing countries will suffer most. While wealthy nations have funds for education and retraining, poorer ones lack safety nets or adaptive institutions. The World Bank estimates that automation threatens up to 77 percent of jobs in China, 69 percent in India, and 65 percent in Nigeria.

The Vanishing Ladder of Prosperity

Historically, poor countries prospered by moving rural workers into cities, fueling cheap manufacturing, and exporting goods to richer regions. The cycle created new middle classes—from China’s millions lifted out of poverty to Brazil’s wave of upward mobility. But automation breaks that ladder. Robots outperform human labor, and 3D printing allows production to return to wealthier countries. Suddenly, labor isn’t a competitive advantage—it’s a liability.

Education and Adaptability

Bremmer argues that survival now depends on adaptability. Nations must invest in education and lifelong learning—not as slogans but as concrete policy. Singapore’s Workforce Singapore program, which retrains citizens for new technologies, offers an example. In contrast, countries like Egypt and Indonesia struggle because their schools fail to prepare youth for digital industries. Without skills, young populations turn volatile, seeking comfort in populism or religion.

Winners and Losers of Automation

Countries with strong institutions—the U.S., China, and parts of Europe—will remain competitive, even amid disruption. Developing states with fragile economies will experience mass unemployment. Bremmer foresees a reversal of globalization’s convergence: richer nations adapting faster, poorer ones falling further behind. The result is a feedback loop—inequality deepens, populism rises, and violence becomes more likely.

A World on the Edge

“We learn geology the morning after the earthquake,” Bremmer quotes Emerson. The tech revolution is the earthquake we’re still sleepwalking through. Countries able to adapt will dominate; others will fracture under pressure.

For Bremmer, technology isn’t a villain—it’s an amplifier. It magnifies inequality, nationalism, and mistrust. The challenge isn’t to stop machines—it’s to rebuild societies that can withstand their impact.

When people feel unsafe, they build walls. Bremmer explores this instinct in depth, arguing that walls—literal and digital—are the modern world’s love affair. They promise security but deliver separation. From Israel’s barriers to Trump’s immigration policies to China’s Great Firewall, Bremmer shows how governments increasingly use walls to protect insiders and control outsiders. These structures preserve democracy for some while denying it to others.

Physical, Economic, and Digital Walls

Walls come in many forms. Some are physical—border fences and immigration bans. Others are economic—tariffs and protectionism that reverse globalization’s flow. Bremmer revisits history, from the Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930 to modern trade wars, showing how protectionism spreads contagiously. Today’s data localization laws, which trap information within borders (as in China, Russia, and India), are information-age versions of tariffs.

Digital Authoritarianism

More alarming are digital walls. Countries now shut down or filter the Internet to suppress dissent. Turkey imprisons journalists; Egypt blocks news websites; China perfects censorship through its Great Firewall. Bremmer details China’s coming “social credit system,” which scores citizens based on loyalty and behavior. High-scoring citizens get better opportunities; low scores mean isolation or punishment. It’s Orwell’s 1984, realized in software.

Meanwhile, democracies like the U.S. aren’t immune. From voter ID laws to gerrymandering and surveillance, Bremmer sees subtler forms of control undermining participation. Walls of bureaucracy and data are replacing bricks and mortar.

Sorting “Us” From “Them”

Walls reinforce identity politics—favoring insiders over outsiders. Bremmer compares Malaysia’s ethnic preferences for Malays to Russia’s internal passports and America’s racial self-sorting. Technology enhances this division: algorithms connect you only with those who agree with you, deepening the “filter bubbles” Eli Pariser warned about. The Internet, once heralded as a bridge, has become a fortress of echo chambers.

Walls may work temporarily—protecting “us” from chaos—but they don’t solve underlying fear. Bremmer insists they will “protect democracy for us by denying it to them.” The long-term cost is isolation, mistrust, and decline. The more walls we build, the fewer bridges remain.

In the final chapters, Bremmer lays out what he sees as humanity’s choice: build walls or rewrite social contracts. The “new deals” represent governments, businesses, and citizens finding fresh ways to meet people’s needs in a fast-changing world. Bremmer defines the social contract, echoing Locke and Rousseau: the agreement between citizen and state that defines rights, responsibilities, and expectations. Today, he argues, this contract has collapsed under globalization’s weight—and must be renewed.

The Needs of the New Era

People want security, opportunity, and dignity. Bremmer shows that these basic expectations—jobs, education, healthcare, fairness—are universal. Governments that fail to provide them lose legitimacy. He contrasts the U.S. “pursuit of happiness” ideal with China’s “Chinese Dream,” where the state, not the individual, promises collective prosperity. Both models risk failure if they exclude too many citizens from benefit.

Experiments in Renewal

Bremmer spotlights countries attempting reform. Finland’s trial of universal basic income gives people financial stability beyond traditional welfare. Singapore invests heavily in education and retraining through individual learning accounts. Brazil’s Bolsa Família reduced poverty by linking benefits to education. India’s biometric system Aadhaar streamlines direct payments to citizens, shrinking corruption. These innovations aren’t perfect, but they reflect a mindset shift—from punishment to participation.

Beyond Government

Bremmer emphasizes that governments can’t do this alone. Private-sector leaders like Mark Zuckerberg or Larry Fink, and NGOs like the Rumie Initiative, are experimenting with ways to connect and empower individuals. He praises tech-driven projects that expand Internet access in poor countries and retrain workers in rich ones. Corporate responsibility, he argues, is no longer optional—it’s survival for capitalism itself.

A Choice Between Isolation and Innovation

Reinventing the social contract means choosing compassion over control. Societies that innovate—educating their youth, protecting the vulnerable, investing in equality—will thrive. Those that hide behind walls will stagnate. History proves this pattern again and again.

Bremmer ends with cautious optimism: when pushed by necessity, people reinvent themselves. Division can inspire renewal. Yet he warns that global elites will resist reform until they, too, feel the pain of the system’s failure. Only then will humanity begin building a future where 'us vs. them' becomes simply 'us.'