The size of western armed forces, their stocks of weaponry and their readiness for combat are declining. Meanwhile, growing nationalism is ruining international cooperation and fuelling conflict everywhere. The west's will - as well as its capability - to shape the world is ebbing away. Beset by economic woes, western countries are continuing the post-Cold War process of disarmament at the very moment that many believe a new Cold War is starting. Some NATO members have compared Vladimir Putin's foreign policy to Germany's in the 1930s, newly empowered groups such as ISIS, not to mention some governments, are tearing up the rulebook of acceptable international behaviour, and the military advantage that the western world once regarded as its prerogative is being undermined by countries like India and China. Tightly argued by Newsnight 's diplomatic and defence editor Mark Urban, The Edge is a wake-up call to decision-makers and citizens alike that breaks new ground in examining the workings and consequences of these geo-political tectonics, and shows just how rapidly the balance of power has been upended.