Is the American Century Over? (Global Futures)

"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"--Publisher's description Title Page......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 9 The Creation of the American Century......Page 10 When did the century start?......Page 11 Myths of American hegemony......Page 15 Half-hegemony......Page 18 Notes......Page 20 American Decline?......Page 22 Lessons from history......Page 23 Notes......Page 27 Challengers and Relative Decline......Page 28 Europe......Page 29 Japan......Page 32 Russia......Page 34 India......Page 38 Brazil......Page 40 Notes......Page 42 The Rise of China......Page 43 Economic power......Page 45 Military power......Page 50 Soft Power......Page 52 China’s strategy and American responses......Page 54 American responses......Page 56 Notes......Page 59 Absolute Decline: Is America Like Rome?......Page 62 Society and culture......Page 63 The Economy......Page 66 Political institutions......Page 72 Conclusions......Page 76 Notes......Page 77 Power Shifts and Global Complexity......Page 81 Greater complexity......Page 82 The world in 2030......Page 84 The information revolution and power diffusion......Page 89 Notes......Page 94 Conclusions......Page 96 Net assessment and the balance of power......Page 97 Strategy choices......Page 99 Notes......Page 105 Further Reading......Page 106 End User License Agreement......Page 110

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.