To this discussion, Dambisa Moyo brings strong economic credentials. She is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times. In 2009 she was named one of the “100 most influential people in the world” by Time magazine. Her familiarity with the dismal science radiates through her provocative new work, “Edge of Chaos,” as she argues compellingly that the global failure to achieve sustained, inclusive growth underpins the rampant political turmoil. Liberal democracies could probably endure either slow growth or rising inequality, she says. But when the two collide, as they have in many mature economies, the chemical reaction can be fierce.

To take a vivid example, the United States has seen its rate of expansion slide from 4 percent in the late 1990s to a bit more than 2 percent at present. At the same time, the gap between rich and poor has exploded, leaving many of those near the bottom enduring lower standards of living than they faced decades ago.

As Moyo notes, left to its own devices, capitalism produces income inequality. This, however, is within the power of governments to redress. While inequality has risen in Europe as well, progressive taxation and robust social safety nets have kept the gap there manageable.

Moyo ticks off seven headwinds — from aging societies to limited natural resources — as impediments to growth. In the United States, for example, educational attainment is a major cause for concern; on a 2015 math test administered globally to 15-year-olds, the United States came in 30th out of 35 major countries.

While many of these are, indeed, scary prospects, her most vexing fear — with much justification — is the rising tide of protectionism. Partial blame goes to the financial crisis and ensuing recession, but globalization advocates must also be held responsible for the drift (perhaps now, a scramble) toward more protectionist policies. They failed to recognize that for all the winners (think of how many products we buy that are better and cheaper because they are made elsewhere), there are also losers (think of the shuttered factories throughout the industrial heartland).