Publishers Weekly
Following in the footsteps of Fareed Zakaria's The Post-American World, Starobin lays out a case for the possibilities and perils of a new era in global politics in which the U.S. no longer unquestioningly reigns. Lloyd James reads with a studied casualness, riding the wave of Starobin's allusive line of thinking and artfully mimicking Starobin's anti-inflammatory narrative, the harmoniousness of his voice transmitting the author's lack of panic at the prospect of the post-American world. A Viking hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 6).
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Kirkus Reviews
An international-affairs reporter concludes the United States has reached the end of its ascendancy and ponders how Americans will adjust to a world in which their country no longer dominates. Rejecting the myth of American Exceptionalism, National Journal and Atlantic Monthly writer and editor Starobin quickly traces the rise of the United States. Then, pointing to such markers as the widening income gap, the country's migration away from risk tolerance, its sluggishness in scientific fields such as robotics and green initiatives and its reluctance to accept cultural developments such as same-sex marriage, Starobin contends that the door has begun to shut on what Henry Luce famously called the American Century. The author's premise-that with the implosion of the Soviet Union, America has passed the apex of its economic, cultural, political and perhaps even military influence-may well be correct, but it requires more convincing support than Starobin offers. But his imagining of a world "After America" is impressive evidence of the author's grasp of the global scene. He posits five possible scenarios: (1) a world ruled by chaos, where civilization falls apart as in the transition from the High Middle Ages to the Renaissance; (2) a multipolar world, with a few major nations maintaining a balance of power; (3) a Chinese-dominated era; (4) a return, though on a much larger scale, to the dominance of city-states, where the usual suspects like New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong are joined by newcomers such as Toronto, Shanghai, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bangalore; (5) the realization of the age-old dream of world governance. Relying on interviews with academics, businessmen, military experts andgovernment officials, and reporting from places as diverse as a Chilean copper mine, a Washington think-tank and an Indian seaport, Starobin takes us on a Friedman-esque journey, making a plausible case for each imagined future, explaining in almost chatty terms how America will fit into this new world, whatever form it takes. Creatively reported and provocatively argued.
From the Publisher
"Narrator Lloyd James lends a down-to-earth, approachable tone to an involved text with many lines of thought." ---AudioFile
MARCH 2010 - AudioFile
NATIONAL JOURNAL reporter Starobin chronicles his predictions of how the world’s political situation could evolve if the influence of the United States wanes, a reality he sees as a strong possibility. Narrator Lloyd James lends a down-to-earth, approachable tone to an involved text with many lines of thought. His delivery helps the listener navigate Starobin’s posited new realities, such as the emergence of city states as replacements for nation states in shaping the political influence and actions of geographical regions. Some of the concepts can be complex, but James helps make them accessible to the audiobook listener. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
