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By 1991, following the disintegration first of the Soviet bloc and then of the Soviet Union itself, the United States was left standing tall as the only global super-power. The 21st century seemed destined to be yet another American century. But that optimism did not last long as the stock market bubble and the costly foreign unilateralism of the younger Bush presidency, as well as the financial catastrophe of 2008 jolted America and much of the West into a sudden recognition of its systemic vulnerability to unregulated greed. In Strategic Vision, esteemed author and former National Security Advisor, Zbigniew Brzezinski argues that to quell mounting anxieties about the growing capacity for Eastern economic and technological innovation, America must define and pursue a long-term geopolitical vision. Only in this way will it become more strategically deliberate and historically enlightened in its global engagement with the new East. A tactical blueprint, Strategic Vision argues that without an America that is economically vital, socially appealing, responsibly powerful, and capable of sustaining an intelligent foreign engagement, the geopolitical prospects for the West could become increasingly grave.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, formerly President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor, is a counselor and trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a professor of American foreign policy at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. His many books include the New York Times bestseller Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower; The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership; and The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperative.
List of Maps and Figures vii
Introduction 1
Part 1 The Receding West 7
1 The Emergence of Global Power 8
2 The Rise of Asia and the Dispersal of Global Power 16
3 The Impact of Global Political Awakening 26
Part 2 The Waning of the American Dream 37
1 The Shared American Dream 37
2 Beyond Self-Delusion 46
3 America's Residual Strengths 55
4 America's Long Imperial War 64
Part 3 The World After America: By 2025, not Chinese but Chaotic 75
1 The Post-America Scramble 76
2 The Geopolitically Most Endangered States 89
3 The End of a Good Neighborhood 103
4 The Uncommon Global Commons 110
Part 4 Beyond 2025: A New Geopolitical Balance 121
1 Eurasia's Geopolitical Volatility 123
2 A Larger and Vital West 132
3 A Stable and Cooperative New East 155
Conclusion: America's Dual Role 183
Acknowledgments 193
Notes 195
Index 197
Anonymous
Posted March 1, 2012
It is a great book. A little text book-ish. A MUST read for anyone who really cares about the future of the US in a post Soviet 21st century world. All our presidential candidates (incumbent included) should read. Made me think a lot about some of what history we have lived through.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 11, 2012
Very interesting but could have been written in fifty pages
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Carl_in_Richland
Posted August 30, 2012
I found this book amazing for the clarity with which it presents the grand sweep of history and the skill with which the author articulates a positive vision for the future of American/European/Asian relations. Many times while reading it I thought, if I’d had a book like this in college I would have paid more attention to my political science and government classes (which, as a science major, I took mostly as filler material). Mr. Brzezinski lucidly describes the increased interconnectedness of all nations in the world as a result of cell phones and the internet, which has produced a generation that is less isolated and worldlier than any before them. As a result, the potential for revolution and change is much greater than in the past. How these changes will play out is strongly dependent on the future of the US as a (for the moment) diminishing superpower, and what role China and India will play in filling this gap. Mr. Brzezinski describes how, with mature leadership, these three countries can put their nationalism and ideology aside, and work to make a world where they all prosper, or any one of them can fuel the fires of jingoism, revive historical feuds and attempt to dominate the others with the result of bringing all countries down. These and related topics discussed in ‘Strategic Vision’ are particularly important with the upcoming (2012) presidential elections. It also contains a number of excellent (and very interesting) tables comparing the countries discussed in his vision for the future. This is an incredibly well written book with arguments that, although sometimes subtle, are well worth studying.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 18, 2012
I thought that the ideas presented in Strategic Vision were very well thought out and were very good. I agree with the notion that the axis of power is shifting from the Atlantic West to the Pacific. The ebook version of this book was short, but the entire time I was reading, I felt as if the author had been given a word limit. You know the personal statements you write to get into graduate school? This book felt like the author was trying to keep it under a certain amount of words. The writing was understandable, but full of large, complex words. If the author wants people outside of policymakers to read this book, he really should consider a revision that makes it more accessible to the common man.
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Posted April 26, 2013
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Posted February 8, 2012
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Posted October 21, 2012
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Posted February 5, 2012
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Posted February 24, 2012
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Overview
By 1991, following the disintegration first of the Soviet bloc and then of the Soviet Union itself, the United States was left standing tall as the only global super-power. The 21st century seemed destined to be yet another American century. But that optimism did not last long as the stock market bubble and the costly foreign unilateralism of the younger Bush presidency, as well as the financial catastrophe of 2008 jolted America and much of the West into a sudden recognition of its systemic vulnerability to ...