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November 11th, 2026
The Last Humans – UFOs, Global Security, and the Threat to State Sovereignty by Alexander Wendt; Oxford University Press; 240 pages (hardcover); October 2026 ; $29.99
There is no doubt that the prospect of alien contact is commanding more and more attention. Much of the public discourse has been heighted by the on-going onslaught of belief and disbelief regarding Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena or UAP. This whatever it is 21st century phenomena has usurped, to a large extent, the tried and true term of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) – a hybrid expression in itself of 20th century “flying saucers.”
This fascinating, super smart book explores just how society needs to face up to the prospect of confirmed extraterrestrial presence near Earth.
Just how de-railing could “disclosure” be and is humanity prepared for a we’re not alone pronouncement?
Alexander Wendt is Mershon Professor of International Security and Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University. The author is globally respected for his interest in philosophical aspects of social science, with special reference to international relations and constructivism in world politics.
Those are heady credentials and this book is a deep, productive dive, he writes, into over 25 years of being “stuck” on the UFO problem. This volume is divided into six solid chapters, from “The Trouble with Aliens,” “Discovering Superior Intelligence,” to “UAP Regimes and Terrestrial Populism.”
Wendt writes that unless the Pentagon changes its mind about UAP secrecy, “all the ingredients are there for a period of protracted contestation over the [extraterrestrial hypothesis] ETH before a consensus emerges and is disclosed. It might not take a century like atomic theory did, but years or decades are easy to imagine. Then again, that might not be a bad thing if it gives us more time to prepare.”
Wendt explores the “collective trauma” that may await as well as the “deep longing” by some for communion with “the Beings.” The author calls for serious engagement with the UAP issue by his colleagues in political science and international relations.
Moreover, the author challenges the common assumption that discovering a non-human intelligence in our solar system would bring humanity together. Rather, he counters, there is a real chance that–even without direct contact–it could instead spark states and the international system to implode in chaos and violence.
In wrapping up his views, Wendt sketches out a global strategy, suggesting a set of intermediate goals. I won’t detail them here but the reader will find them clear-headed observations.
Now for the first time, the author concludes, “there may be a possibility of recognizing, and being recognized by, a superior intelligence. Being on the edge of such an encounter is an extraordinary thing, since not only are we (potentially) the last humans. We are also potentially the first humans to see what will come after us.”
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