The book goes back through history and discusses government and the use of force, how the use of force by various entities affects political organization, and what technology has done to sort of level the playing field in the use of force. That more poweful weapons are now available to smaller groups is why ragtag goat herders in Afghanistan could kick the Soviets out and are doing a pretty good job of getting rid of us, too.
The authors contend that approximately every 500 years, there is a major world event that drastically changes everything. Oddly enough, each seems to occur around the 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 marks. The modern one was the fall of the Soviet Union, occurring around the time of the turn of the century. These major changes are always accompanied by chaos, so it means we are in for a bumpy ride. Governments will be toppled and nations will fall apart.
I find this book fascinating. The suthors are libertarian secular types, but I see the hand of God working through history as I read the book. It’s probably out of print, but you might be able to get it cheaply at amazon or a used book store.
I don’t think it was the fall of the Soviet Union that was the major event. I think it could be the rejection of collectivist totalitarianism on a global scale by most people.