# *Peak Human*

##### *What We Can Learn From History’s Greatest Civilizations* 

Protectionism might seem like a shield, but it easily becomes a cage.

September 23, 2025 • News Releases 

**“Could a history book be more timely?”** 
*(The Economist* in its review following the UK publication of PEAK HUMAN)

With trade restrictions in the news practically every day, a recent[ essay](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https:/www.wsj.com/arts-culture/history/great-civilizations-depend-on-trade-15ad1685___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOmQwMGMzZTI2OTg1MjcwNzg3YjEwZWM5NGJjNGY2NDA2Ojc6MzkyYTo5ZjliNGU2ZDgzMjU5NmY2MjU1NDUzN2I3MjY2OGUwYjFhMzhjYWEyY2ViMzQ3OWY5YzNlNDQ1MTUzY2NlNmQxOmg6RjpO) in the *Wall Street Journal* tells a cautionary tale of the relationship between barriers to trade and the fall of empires.

As you cover trade stories, please keep author and Cato senior fellow, [Johan Norberg](https://www.cato.org/people/johan-norberg) in mind for background. In his new book, [*Peak Human: What We Can Learn from the Rise and Fall of Golden Ages*](https://www.cato.org/books/peak-human-0)*,* he counts prosperous trade as a contributing factor to the rise, and curtailing it as a factor in the fall.

“The lesson is clear,” he writes. “Protectionism might seem like a shield, but it easily becomes a cage. It’s a way of cutting a nation off from the world’s brains and skills, forfeiting not just wealth but the energy and constant renewal that make civilizations shine.”

Norberg is available for interviews. Print and PDF copies of the book are available upon request. The book has already been named one of the best books of the year so far by both the [*Financial Times*](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https:/www.ft.com/content/534068d5-72e8-43c9-a1b1-9489bf58bd9b___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOmQwMGMzZTI2OTg1MjcwNzg3YjEwZWM5NGJjNGY2NDA2Ojc6MTIwMzplZjc5NGYzZjJlZDFkYzg3MGRmZjZmOGUzNWM0M2JkYTNiZDk5MDRlNmE0YTE1ZjRjNGE3MzRkYjBkZWRjNzI0Omg6RjpO) and the [*Economist*](https://url.avanan.click/v2/r01/___https:/www.economist.com/culture/2024/07/19/packing-for-your-summer-holiday-take-these-books-published-in-2024___.YXAzOmNhdG9pbnN0aXR1dGU6YTpvOmQwMGMzZTI2OTg1MjcwNzg3YjEwZWM5NGJjNGY2NDA2Ojc6N2IzODpkZDM1NWNjOGExY2RiNzc3MWE0YzZkMmM3OTMwZGJkY2ZmMWVjOTQxNDFmNTRkOTg3OWFlMjM3MWUwM2RmY2JmOmg6RjpO)

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