Customer Reviews

Dominion from Sea to Sea: Pacific Ascendancy and American Power

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This is a great book. 10 years ago I was a graduate history student and found his second volume of his Origins of the Korean War series one of the best explanations and overviews of US foreign relations in the period after World War II and start of the Cold War. The book had a big impact on my thinking along with Carrol Quigley, Franz Schurman, and Charles Beard.

When I saw Cumings had a new book about the US and its in place in the world I was excited when I ordered it and the book exceeded my expectations. This book is written to fit more of a non-academic and mainstream audience than some of his other books so hopefully will reach a wide audience. It gives a great view of how the US got to be so big and powerful by focusing on the West Coast of the US from its first settlement to today and the several booms if went through - the gold rush, World War II, cold war military industrial complex, and the Silicon Valley. It also present a new way of thinking about foreign policy by creating a dichotomy between Atlanatic leaning internationalism and westward leaning thinking.

There is much more to the book than just this. This is a great book worth your time to read.

This is a big-picture book. How did the USA make its way to economic, military and cultural global hegemony?

Bruce Comings describes the westward expansion of the United States and how it didn't stop at the Golden Gate, but continued on out into the Pacific Rim. He stresses the active involvement of the Federal government in the growth of California and other western states. The future of USA prosperity and global influence can be glimpsed by looking westward towards the Pacific Rim and eastward not towards Europe.

Based on a decade of historical research, here are 500 pages filled with interesting facts and solid interpretations of US history; this book is well worth reading!