Buy new:
-11% $11.55$11.55
Delivery Wednesday, June 5
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
Save with Used - Good
$10.95$10.95
Delivery Friday, June 7
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Zoom Books Company
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Is the American Century Over? (Global Futures) 1st Edition
Purchase options and add-ons
For more than a century, the United States has been the world's most powerful state. Now some analysts predict that China will soon take its place. Does this mean that we are living in a post-American world? Will China's rapid rise spark a new Cold War between the two titans?
In this compelling essay, world renowned foreign policy analyst, Joseph Nye, explains why the American century is far from over and what the US must do to retain its lead in an era of increasingly diffuse power politics. America's superpower status may well be tempered by its own domestic problems and China's economic boom, he argues, but its military, economic and soft power capabilities will continue to outstrip those of its closest rivals for decades to come.
- ISBN-109780745690070
- ISBN-13978-0745690070
- Edition1st
- PublisherPolity Press
- Publication dateJanuary 20, 2015
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions4.9 x 0.4 x 7.4 inches
- Print length152 pages
Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000Paul KennedyPaperback$16.46 shippingOnly 1 left in stock - order soon.
China Goes Global: The Partial PowerDavid ShambaughPaperback$16.86 shippingOnly 10 left in stock - order soon.
After Hegemony: Cooperation and Discord in the World Political EconomyPaperback$16.14 shippingOnly 19 left in stock (more on the way).
From the Publisher
2015 Best Book on Global Policy
The World Policy Institute at Loyola Marymount University awarded 'Is the American Century Over?' with its Best Book on Global Policy award for the year 2015.
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and one of the most esteemed analysts of world affairs, Nye has been countering declinism for a quarter century, beginning with his 1990 book Bound to Lead. The brevity of his latest text belies its sweep, and judging by the reception it has received, even among those who are considerably less optimistic about America's prospects...one suspects it will endure as a central text of the anti-declinist oeuvre."
Ali Wyne, American Interest
"In his clear, short, and closely reasoned book, Nye presents a far different view of American power, making some unfashionable but compelling arguments. Nye believes that the American century is far from over and that for the foreseeable future, the United States will retain a unique ability to shape global events."
� Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs
"Nye outlines each issue briskly, with economy and precision, creating an ideal primer for anyone wishing to better understand the global stage and where America stands on it."
�LA Review of Books
"Nye does the great service of examining this claim in his new book, Is the American Century Over?, giving a subtle analysis in terms of hard power (military and economic) and soft power (a concept introduced by Nye to refer to an attractive practice, at least a model or ideals such as liberty or democracy)."
�Huffington Post
�Is the American Century Over?� is an excellent book that will help students of international affairs think carefully about the world and America�s opportunities and challenges in the 21st century. It�s brief, succinct and provocative."
�The Washington Diplomat
"Academics and political junkies will probably breeze through Is the American Century Over? But the book is so well-written and accessible, general readers are likely to find it engaging and insightful as well. At its core, policy-oriented research and writing should strive to inform not just specialists or experts, but the public at large, making Nye's contribution to debates about America's purported decline that much more important."
�Huffington Post
�This short, well-argued book offers a powerful rebuttal to America's premature obituarists.�
�The Economist
�A pioneer in the theory of soft power and the dean of American political scientists, Nye knows geopolitics. In his new book, Is the American Century Over?, Nye makes a strong case that American geopolitical superiority, far from being eclipsed, is still firmly in place and set to endure. And the biggest threat isn�t China or India or Russia-it's America itself.�
�Time
�In this short, thoughtful book, Nye presents his case convincingly. It is a case that policy makers should ponder carefully.�
�Huffington Post
�The United States will likely remain the world's predominant power for many decades to come, Joe Nye concludes in his insightful new book. This welcome prediction is tempered by Nye�s warning about key challenges that could yet lead to American decline, most notably, political dysfunction at home.�
�The Boston Globe
�US declinism can be overdone. In an excellent new essay asking Is the American Century Over? the Harvard scholar Joseph Nye points up America's enduring strengths � economic, demographic and geographic as well as military.�
�Financial Times
"With his usual clarity and insight, Joe Nye gives us a fascinating analysis of the complexities of power, exploring hard and soft power, state and non-state actors, and how to retain leadership once domination is over. European readers have much to learn from the U.S. experience and its lessons for the evolution of the EU."
�Mario Monti, Prime Minister of Italy (2011-13) and President of Bocconi University
"The future of American power is the great question of our century. No-one is better equipped than Joe Nye to answer it."
�Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, USAF (Ret.), former Presidential National Security Advisor
"This calm, reflective, and thoughtful antidote to alarm about American decline displays Nye's astonishing capacity to engage with the full range of challenges to American leadership."
�Michael Ignatieff, Harvard Kennedy School
"In this timely, compact book, Joe Nye makes a 'powerful' case for the continuation of American primacy through diplomacy and co-operation. This strategy would not be overstretch or retrenchment but instead the application of American Exceptionalism to shrewd power."
�Robert B. Zoellick, former President of the World Bank Group, US Trade Representative and US Deputy Secretary of State
"The irreversibility of American decline is no longer a given. Joe Nye's compelling analysis shows that the future of the international order, and the respective roles of the US and China within it, will be shaped by a range of core domestic and foreign policy choices, rather than by some overwhelming, determinist, historical force that has somehow already decided the "natural" dimensions, depth and duration of American power. The history of nations, as Joe Nye rightly asserts, is a more dynamic process than that."
�Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia
"Joe Nye is always worth reading - objective without being aloof, insightful without lecturing. Our disordered world needs answers to the challenges posed here."
�David Miliband, UK Foreign Secretary 2007-2010
"Nye's masterful analysis shows the defenders of America's continued primacy how to make their most credible case while forcing the declinists to engage with its arguments, and even rethink their assumptions."
�Amitav Acharya, American University and author of The End of American World Order
"In this tour de force Joe Nye proves that smart books about big ideas are best served in small packages: and if you are looking for one volume to read on a topic about which so much nonsense has been written since the disaster that was the Bush administration, this is the one to go for. Balanced, accessible, informed - but above all, wise - Nye demonstrates once more why he continues to influence the way we all think about the world."
�Michael Cox, LSE IDEAS
"Joe Nye's clear-eyed analysis makes a very compelling case that the 'American century' is far from over, even though with a less preponderant America and a more complex world, its next chapter will look different. It�s not the sexiest argument. But utterly convincing."
�Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference and former German Ambassador to the United States
"Joe Nye's clear eyed assessments of America's place in the world have set the terms of the debate for more than a quarter century. This important book updates Nye's thinking and is an immensely valuable corrective to the pessimism and the complacency that are all too common in debates about America's future."
�Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard University
"As Joseph S. Nye, Jr. brilliantly articulates, there are numerous challenges and challengers which will push the United States as the premier nation in the world over the next few decades. Bringing an objective, critical analysis and years of experience in economics and politics, Nye's Is the American Century Over? is both a cautionary tale for the patriotic and a celebration of emerging nations.�
�Nomadic Press
About the Author
Product details
- ASIN : 0745690076
- Publisher : Polity Press; 1st edition (January 20, 2015)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 152 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780745690070
- ISBN-13 : 978-0745690070
- Item Weight : 5.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.9 x 0.4 x 7.4 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,066,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #117 in Political Trades and Tariffs
- #755 in United States History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Videos for this product
About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
This is a very rich and well researched work, but I found his use of a three level chessboard as particularly useful analytically. On the top level he considers traditional strategic and military balances, on the second level he weighs economic changes and capabilities, and on the last level he looks at non state and transnational actors challenging traditional hierarchies. While he remarks on continuing American strengths, particularly in innovation and in the openness of the political and social systems he also recognizes the new role played by the growing BRICS. He focuses a good deal on social networks and interactions in assessing the governance of non-state actors.
One minor criticism I would offer is that he should consider the interactions between the levels. An easy example is that economic and knowledge growth can allow an emerging state new options on the strategic level. Democratic and legitimate states can also prove more efficient in accessing social networks and interacting with non state actors.
This book is important not only for its accurate assessments concerning the retained power by the West but also in its assessments of the power of emergent states. It's a must read for those of us trying to predict the future of the global system.
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. as the world power, but in the ‘90s, had an economic downturn in which they still haven’t recovered. The Euro was thought to replace the dollar as the reserve currency, but, for example, the situation in Greece may be the beginning of its downfall, and people are losing faith. Putin may be leading Russia to a new European conquest, but within this state, there is economic deterioration and ethnic conflicts that could, in the future, tear the country apart.
China has a chapter of its own, and even that has its pitfalls. China is seen to be rising both militarily and economically, but not as fast as many may think. In both cases, it may be 30 years, or more, or never, for both these institutions to equal that of the U.S. Militarily, the U.S. is bigger, and many of China’s neighbors in the Pacific, including Japan and Vietnam, are turning to the U.S. to help protect them from Chinese aggression. Economically, the G.D.P. may be greater, but China has a population of 1.3 billion people, the great majority living in abject poverty, and China will have to provide for them. One thing not mentioned here is that China produces goods in quantity, not quality, like that of Germany and Japan. Also, with their one child policy, the population is aging, with a lesser number to replace it. Government controls are hindering the economy, and there is also the problem of rogue provinces like Tibet and Xinjiang.
What I disagree with here is, don’t write China off so fast. They are still a rising power and they are building up their military, expanding islands in the South China Sea, and they are buying gold in huge amounts worldwide, greatly enhancing their economy. For better or worse, they are going to be with us for a long time to come. Whether or not they will remain a threat to us remains to be seen.
The last few chapters focus on American innovation, and what advantages the U.S. has over other countries. Education, having the best colleges and universities, immigration, industries moving into the U.S., and these industries working independent of the government. Science and technology are still greatly present in this society, in spite of worldwide competition.
The comparison with the Roman Empire is covered, and how the U.S. is not in this position.
The book is worth reading and considering. It is short, about 100 pages, with endnotes after every chapter. It is optimistic, but also mentions problems in which they have to be dealt.
At the end, Joseph Nye mentions that we will remain on top for a long to come, but it may be in a different manner. He advises us to work with other countries, but not dominate them. We should listen and learn what other countries have to say and offer. Learn from them. Also, stay out of the business of invading and occupying other countries. This is known as soft power, and we need to use it more.
We still have our own problems such as deficits, debts, and unemployment, but this all can be dealt with, if we do it right.
Read the book, it will make you feel better about our future, and I, for one, believe that we are on the decline, but I don’t believe that it has to stay that way. With money, hard work, the right decisions, and our willingness to work with other countries without dominating them, we can rise again.
Top reviews from other countries
El defiende que la hegemonía de Estados Unidos se encuentra en un relativo declive, pero que aún no hay ningún país capaz de relevarlo.



