A Century's Journey How The Great Powers Shape The World [Paperback]

Robert Pastor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0465054765 | ISBN-13: 978-0465054763

Will the world of the twenty-first century be dominated by global companies, ethnic strife, or rogue tyrants? This definitive volume argues convincingly that the answer depends on the actions of the world’s great powers, which will continue to set the rules affecting globalization, culture, and pariah regimes.In A Century’s Journey, seven influential scholars trace the global strategies of the world’s most powerful countries during the past 100 years. Through authoritative chapters on each great power, readers will learn how these countries redefined their interests in response to momentous changes and reshaped the world so that it bears only slight resemblance to the world of 1900.The scholars and their areas of expertise are Professors Robert A. Pastor (United States), Stanley Hoffman of Harvard University (France), Josef Joffe, Editor of Suddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), Robert Legvold of Columbia University (Soviet Union/Russia), Robert J. Lieber of Georgetown University (Great Britain), Michael Oksenberg of Stanford University (China), and Kenneth Pyle of the University of Washington (Japan).

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For all the claims of globalization, says Robert A. Pastor, a handful of countries still define the world at the end of the 20th century--and will continue to do so in the 21st. Along with six other foreign-policy scholars, Pastor examines the recent history of the world's seven "great powers" (France, Germany, Russia, Great Britain, China, Japan, and the United States) to demonstrate how they have influenced--and adapted to--the upheavals of the 20th century. They also offer some thoughts on what the "Liberal Epoch" to come will bring: if Russia and China are not fully welcomed into the community of great powers, Pastor warns, conflict is inevitable. And while international law and tribunals will continue to play an important role, they will require strengthened means of monitoring and enforcement if they are to be effective. A Century's Journey is a bit policy-wonkish for the general reader, but it does offer some carefully considered insights into how the nations of the world will deal with each other in the coming decades. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"An extremely thoughtful examination of great-power politics." -- Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times

"By surveying the foreign policies of the seven great powers in the twentieth century, A Century's Journey provides a superb road map for understanding the strategic challenges and opportunities of the next century." -- Sam Nunn, former chairman, U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee

"How will the great powers shape our new century? By distilling the answers for the twentieth century, these leading experts prepare us better to understand and cope with the twenty-first century." -- Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Dean, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

"Robert Pastor has assembled an outstanding group of scholars, who provide their views of the foreign policies of seven Great Powers in the twentieth century, and their opinions of the likely trajectories of those policies in the twenty-first century. Readers of this book will conclude that while we live in a globalized world, states will define the rules." -- James A. Baker III, former Secretary of State

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (August 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465054765
• ISBN-13: 978-0465054763
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,248,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful insight for global business., February 25, 2000

By 

Jeffrey Rosensweig (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Century's Journey: How The Great Powers Shape The World (Hardcover)

To understand business in the new century, we need to understand the political and cultural forces shaping global power. Pastor and his six other renowned foreign policy co-authors argue that the key to understanding the world's future lies in how the great powers shaped the 20th century. This book helps us understand the recent history of political influence on markets. Pastor adds to his own important chapters contributions by six of the world's leading experts on their respective powers, e.g. China, Japan, Germany, etc. The book is clearly written and Pastor does an admirable job integrating both the contributions from the separate regional experts and the lessons from the past that aid our forecasts for the future. This book teaches us much about the political and cultural issues driving power relationships and leadership in the global economy.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Robert Pastor should be hung for treason., April 2, 2008

By 

R. Gladden "Legal US Citizen" (Insane Diego) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Century's Journey How The Great Powers Shape The World (Paperback)

Robert Pastor should be hung for treason. He is determined to undermine the sovereignty of the United States of America. Do not purchase his books.