The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives

by Zbigniew Brzezinski

Overview

From one of America’s leading geopolitical thinkers, the classic treatise on America's strategic mission in the modern world

In this seminal work, celebrated political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski delivers a provocative, revolutionary geostrategy for American preeminence in the twenty-first century. The United States’ crucial task, he argues, is to become the sole political arbiter in Eurasia and prevent the emergence of any rival power threatening our material and diplomatic interests. The Eurasian landmass, home to the greatest part of the globe's population, natural resources, and economic activity, is the “grand chessboard” on which Brzezinski argues that America's supremacy will be ratified and challenged. With signature insight and lucidity, Brzezinski spans from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the Russo-Ukrainian War and the rise of China.
 
The Grand Chessboard is a landmark work, both in Brzezinski’s oeuvre and in the field of political science. It remains an essential, powerful blueprint for protecting America's most vital interests in Eurasia and beyond.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780465093083
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	12/06/2016
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-2017) was National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter, a counselor and trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a professor of American foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of New York Times bestsellers Second Chance and Strategic Vision, among many other books.

Table of Contents

I. Hegemony of a New Type
The Short Road to Global Supremacy
The First Global Power
The American Global System

II. The Eurasian Chessboard
Geopolitics and Geostrategy
Geostrategic Players and Geopolitical Pivots
Critical Choices and Potential Challenges

III. The Democratic Bridgehead
Grandeur and Redemption
America's Central Objective
Europe's Historic Timetable

IV. The Black Hole
Russia's New Geopolitical Setting
Geostrategic Phantasmagoria
The Dilemma of the One Alternative

V. The Eurasian Balkans
The Ethnic Cauldron
The Multiple Contest
Neither Dominion Nor Exclusion

VI. The Far Eastern Anchor
China: Not Global but Regional
Japan: Not Regional but International
America's Geostrategic Adjustment

VII. Conclusion
A Geostrategy for Eurasia
A Trans-Eurasian Security System
Beyond the Last Global Superpower

What People are Saying About This

Paul Wolfowitz

"Zbigniew Brzezinski has established himself as one of the most penetrating analysts of international affairs and as one of the leading practitioners of the art of strategy. Here he combines both strengths to produce a provocative analysis of the shape of the world after the Cold War and of America's role in it. A `must read,' and a good one, too."

Lt. Gen. William E. Odom

"The Grand Chessboard will shock the timid, infuriate the unimaginative, and inspire the thoughtful reader. For those who believe America should lead but are unsure how, it offers a pragmatic and compelling vision. For those in charge of U.S. policy making, it is a required manual."

Samuel P. Huntington

"The Grand Chessboard is the book we have been waiting for: a clear-eyed, tough-minded, definitive exposition of America's strategic interests in the post-Cold War world. A masterful synthesis of historical, geographical, and political analysis, it is geostrategic thinking in the grand tradition of Bismarck."

Nathan Gardels

"In this incisive book--itself one of the most important documents to emerge in the wake of the Cold War's end--Zbigniew Brzezinski displays his legendary scope and intellectual acuity in giving purpose to American power. In this time of drift, Brzezinski remains America's paramount strategic mind."

Flora Lewis

"The Grand Chessboard is, at last, a lucid, brilliantly presented exposition of the necessary new framework for American foreign policy, tying together the objectives for the short, medium and long term which the country should now begin to implement. This fills a vital need."

Editorial Reviews

Presents Brzezinski's (former National Security Adviser to the President) views on geopolitical strategies to maintain the global power of the U.S. Focusing on four regions of the Eurasian continent (Western Europe, Russia, and Central and Eastern Asia) as the chessboard upon which America's supremacy will be tested, he argues that U.S. foreign policy (with a view towards the establishment of an expanded NATO and a Trans-Eurasian Security System) should rely on maneuver and manipulation to prevent the emergence of a hostile state or coalition of states that could seek to challenge the U.S.'s global stewardship. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

The former national security advisor is still a believer in geopolitics after all these years. Like most foreign-policy aficionados weaned on the Cold War, Brzezinski (Out of Control, 1993) has been forced by the disintegration of the Soviet Union to broaden his perspective—but not very far. He sees the US as the only global superpower, but inability to maintain its hegemony indefinitely means that "geostrategic skill" is essential. To what end is not specified beyond the vague shaping of "a truly cooperative global community" that is in "the fundamental interests of humankind," but in this genre, goals are commonly assumed rather than examined. In any case, Brzezinski casts Eurasia as the playing field upon which the world's fate is determined and analyzes the possibilities in Europe, the former Soviet Union, the Balkans (interpreted broadly), and the Far East. Like a grandmaster in chess, he plots his strategy several moves in advance, envisioning a three-stage development. Geopolitical pluralism must first be promoted to defuse challenges to America, then compatible international partners must be developed to encourage cooperation under American leadership, and finally the actual sharing of international political responsibility can be considered. The twin poles of this strategy are a united Europe in the West and China in the East; the central regions are more problematic and, for Brzezinski, not as critical in constructing a stable balance of power. This updated version of East-West geopolitics is worth taking seriously but it is also an amazing example of how a perspective can be revised without actually being rethought.

Kirkus Reviews

Brzezinski has now provided another scholarly blueprint for what he believes the United States should do in coming years to further America's interests, maintain the hegemony it commands, and prevent global anarchy. For Brzezinski, this is a strategic game, not unlike chess, to outwit potential rivals....His books are there for any political leader to use as material for future policy declarations.”—New York Times

“The Grand Chessboard makes permanent contributions to the national debate over American foreign policy and power.”—Los Angeles Times

“The great merit of this volume lies in its analysis of the strategic outlook and policy dilemmas of a host of states in Eurasia, a tour d'horizon lucidly rendered. Brzezinski's analysis of the triangular relationship among China, Japan, and America—together with the policy recommendations flowing therefrom—is particularly good.”—Foreign Affairs

“As sobering as it is timely.”—American Spectator

“This book is a must...for the current American foreign-policy decision-makers.”—H-Net

“Like a grandmaster in chess, [Brzezinski] plots his strategy several moves in advance....This updated version of East-West geopolitics is worth taking seriously but it is also an amazing example of how a perspective can be revised without actually being rethought.”—Kirkus Reviews

“The Grand Chessboard is the book we have been waiting for: a clear-eyed, tough-minded, definitive exposition of America's strategic interests in the post-Cold War world.”—Samuel Huntington, author of The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

“The Grand Chessboard is, at last, a lucid, brilliantly presented exposition of the necessary new framework for American foreign policy, tying together the objectives for the short, medium, and long term that the country should now begin to implement. This fills a vital need.”—Flora Lewis, former columnist, International New York Times

“In this incisive book—itself on the most important documents to emerge in the wake of the Cold War's end—Zbigniew Brzezinski displays his legendary scope and intellectual acuity in giving purpose to American power. In this time of drift, Brzezinski remains America's paramount strategic mind.”—Nathan Gardels, editor-in-chief, Noema Magazine

“The Grand Chessboard will shock the timid, infuriate the unimaginative, and inspire the thoughtful reader. For those who believe America should be lead but are unsure how, it offers a pragmatic and compelling vision. For those in charge of U.S. policy-making, it is a required manual. ”—Lieutenant General William E. Odom

From the Publisher