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Is the American Century Over (Global Futures) 1st Edition

by Joseph S. Nye Jr. (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 73 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0745690070
ISBN-10: 0745690076
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Product Details

  • Series: Global Futures
  • Paperback: 152 pages
  • Publisher: Polity; 1 edition (January 20, 2015)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0745690076
  • ISBN-13: 978-0745690070
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.4 x 7.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsUSA Suffering From "Decline-ism" But Likely To Remain World's Number One.
By Edward M. Roche Esq on February 25, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
An excellent book. Mercifully short. Provides cogent argument that the US is not declining in influence vis-a-vis Russia, China, Europe, Brazil, and is likely to remain the world's most powerful nation for the next few decades and probably more. A refreshing alternative to the pervasive American "decline-ism" that periodically sweeps across our army of tongue-wagging media commentators. A book everyone worried about the future of the United States should read.
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3.0 out of 5 starsNye's analysis lacks depth, but his end of chapter ...
By Bill Pro on April 30, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Nye's analysis lacks depth, but his end of chapter references are a treasure trove of "reading list." Read the book and then go to his references for more depth.
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4.0 out of 5 starsThe Exaggerated Death of the American Century?
By Michael Griswold VINE VOICE on June 17, 2015
Format: Paperback Vine Customer Review of Free Product ( What's this? )
As a political science student when I read the title Is the American Century Over I groan because it seems like a new Chicken Little “sky is falling” type book is published every day where the United States of America meets a horrible end due to political and ideological divisions, some transnational threat be it ISIS, climate change, cyber security, or a rising China. I found Joseph Nye’s Is the American Century Over a refreshing change of pace from the doom and gloom that comes with the political science territory.

Nye argues that the United States economic, military, and soft power is not on the wane both currently and compared to other times in the last seventy years or so. The US enjoys large advantages in these areas compared to other potential challengers: Europe, China, India, Russia, and Brazil.

Yet Nye does not claim that American hegemony is without the potential for failure. The continuation of the American Century relies upon political leaders making “smart decisions” which is far from a certainty given that leaders can be derailed by pride, legacy, ideology and the need to win the next election among other things.

There seems to be a further question which Nye sort of hints at: Is Hegemony Overrated? Considering that “new threats” such as cyber security, climate change, and infectious disease are not amenable to a military solution and that even in an era of one hegemonic power, the hegemon does not get everything it wants, I feel like the question needs to be asked “Is Hegemony Something that the US Should Expect or Desire?

A thought provoking read sure to add to the academic debate over America’s place in the post-Cold War World.
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5.0 out of 5 starsDispatches "Century"
By factoid junkie on March 13, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Nye views power through three lenses: military, economic, and soft. Using these dimensions and a clear view of the past century of world events, he demonstrates that at no time was American dominant in the sense it could get anything it wanted. America’s military is large, its economic force still important (especially in light of the dollar as the standard currency), and its soft power weakening. He refers to these three dimensions like three-dimensional chess, with the military at the top, economics in the middle, and soft power on the bottom. But since technology and the rise of NGOs, soft power is coming perhaps more strongly from citizen’s and invested groups, rather than governments.

He rattles the cages of those who have ideological axes to grind when they promote a variety of "American Century" views. I especially appreciated that he counter those views with clear information, rather than vitriol.

Of course the overview stimulated a deeper dive reaction and if the book had attempted that the resulting length likely would have daunted too many readers. However, as an author and reader, I believe the price point of the book is a tad high given overview nature.

The book leaves you with optimism for the future of America’s course and next century of recourse.
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4.0 out of 5 starsIs America in Decline? Not So Fast!
By Alastair Browne on July 7, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Joseph Nye does paint an optimistic future of the United States as a world power, amid all the gloom and doom of its much talked about decline. He also points out America’s present day problems, but in a way that they are not as bad as they seem, especially when compared to other countries. Other countries either have the same problems as we, sometimes worse, or problems we don’t have that can be their pitfalls. Nye, however, does point out that the U.S. itself needs to deal with its present problems, or it will decline, so the picture is rosy, but not that rosy.
The book starts with when the American Century began. It either began in 1914, at the beginning of World War I, or in 1941, when Pearl Harbor was bomb, leading our entry into World War II, and discusses briefly on each date, including our isolation between the wars, and how we finally came to the forefront to stay.
We are often compared to the British, comparing them to other empires of the day, and how they took the lead. It is interesting to note that they had their empire for two centuries, rising to the peak after losing the American colonies. What brought their empire down was competition with Germany and the U.S. in industries, not the military, especially in the production of steel. Britain would not change with the rest of the world in modern technology, and that is an ingredient for the downfall of any society. The two world wars were the nails in their coffin.
What is really shown here is a chapter comparing the present state of the U.S. to other countries supposedly of the rise: Europe, Japan, India, Russia, Brazil, and especially China, America’s newest competitor and threat. Japan, back in the 1980s, was thought to replace the U.S.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsexcellent, quick read

I found Mr. Nye's work succinct, and easily understood. As stated in the subject line, I find the book was excellent, and a quick read, yet not short on substance.

Published 21 days ago by Joe S
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Always an insightful author...

Published 23 days ago by Steve Endsley
5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent review - past

Excellent review - past, present, & projections. The countries used to document the information are outstanding measures for comparisons and for predictions. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Glen C.
2.0 out of 5 starsAuthor misses our pragmatic forest for his scholarly trees

Thankfully this is a short book, at 152 pages. I was able to breeze through it, taking some notes here and there. I found Nye's assessments to be usually woefully inadequate. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Robert Jacoby
5.0 out of 5 starsGood knowledge pack!

Excellent perspectives!

Published 4 months ago by Sami Leino
1.0 out of 5 starsNye is in denial about America's decline --- and his Harvard...

Nye's book has no depth. It is a good reflection of his elite pro-war and Harvard sense of being a superman--- when the world does not need a war-making superman. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Terrence Paupp
5.0 out of 5 starsAs a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, ...

As a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Joseph Nye knows what the puppet masters have in mind....

Published 5 months ago by Pat Leach
5.0 out of 5 starsGood book

Very informative book. Should be read by anyone wondering the status of the U.S. in the world.

Published 5 months ago by amadeo lucchesi
4.0 out of 5 starspower with others vs. power over others?

The gist of Nye's work is found on page 115 where he says "...the United States becomes too FEARFUL (emphasis mine) and overreacts to terrorist attacks by CLOSING INWARDS... Read more

Published 5 months ago by Hung-Tak Lee
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

A freewheeling sketch of future possibilities. Wish he had addressed America's possible future role in a newly envisioned world.

Published 5 months ago by Jacob Shefa

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