After the Apocalypse

America's Role in a World Transformed

By: Andrew Bacevich

Narrated by: Peter Coyote

A bold and urgent perspective on how American foreign policy must change in response to the shifting world order of the twenty-first century, from Andrew J. Bacevich, the New York Times bestselling author of The Limits of Power and The Age of Illusions.

The purpose of U.S. foreign policy has, at least theoretically, been to keep Americans safe. Yet as we confront a radically changed world, it has become indisputably clear that the terms of that policy have failed. Washington’s insistence that a market economy is compatible with the common good, its faith in the idea of the “West” and its “special relationships,” its conviction that global military primacy is the key to a stable and sustainable world order—these have brought endless wars and a succession of moral and material disasters.

In a bold reconception of America’s place in the world, informed by thinking from across the political spectrum, Andrew J. Bacevich—founder and president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, a bipartisan Washington think tank dedicated to foreign policy—lays down a new approach—one that is based on moral pragmatism, mutual coexistence, and war as a last resort. Confronting the threats of the future—accelerating climate change, a shift in the international balance of power, and the ascendance of information technology over brute weapons of war—his vision calls for nothing less than a profound overhaul of our understanding of national security.

Crucial and provocative, After the Apocalypse sets out new principles to guide the once-but-no-longer sole superpower as it navigates a transformed world.

A Macmillan Audio production from Metropolitan Books

Critic reviews

"A timely, angry, deeply necessary book about the habits of mind that have damaged America, and how to change them."
—Peter Beinart, author of The Crisis of Zionism

"In a sane country, the estimable Andrew Bacevich would be Secretary of a much-shrunken Defense Department. Deepened by his sense of history, this up-to-the-minute book is his answer to the big question: why is the most powerful nation on earth so ill-prepared to deal with the world it faces?"
—Adam Hochschild, author of Spain in Our Hearts

"The proliferating crises of our moment have found their interpreter. In this piercing account, Andrew Bacevich explains how distinctively American attributes—from our national security state to our original sin of racism to our very self-concept as the world leader—have, in the 21st century, conspired to render the American people vulnerable where they live. Bacevich points the way forward in terms that Americans across party lines are likely to appreciate. Will their leaders?"
—Stephen Wertheim, author of Tomorrow, the World: The Birth of U.S. Global Supremacy

"An excoriating call for change . . . Bacevich's arguments are well-informed and stoked by a sense of moral outrage. Readers will agree that U.S. foreign policy needs a massive rethink."
—Publishers Weekly

"With a reputation for knowledgeable, incisive, and provocative readings of history, Bacevich delivers his latest addition to a growing body of thought-provoking work . . . Broad in its scope yet concise, this is an important nonconformist interpretation of American history."
—Kirkus Reviews

Very negative but with merit.

This is third book I’ve purchased by Andrew Bacevich. I admire with military and geopolitical knowledge as one of the best. In this book he is seemingly biter regarding the historical events of the US and it’s leadership. Informing but strong opinions by the author are apparent. The narrator should stick with Ken Burns documentaries. His voice is just too authoritative.

Citizens, Take Heed

Mr Bacevich addresses our problems directly, and honestly. Probably why he is not in our current political arena. This book is a wake up call to Americans who care about our future and the future of our grandchildren. Right now this country is bifurcated and disjointed - so much so, we can't even come to a logical and reasonable agreement on getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Having experienced the good times and the bad times of the US over my 78 years, this is the worst state I have seen the country in. Things need to change in a big way, and hopefully sooner rather than later.

Realistic and sobering assessment of where the USA

It is hard to accuse Andrew Bacevich for the lack of patriotism and the love for his country. Career military himself, Vietnam vet whose son also paid with his life while serving in Iraq. So when he offers an opinion, people should take it seriously. USA is on the wrong track misguided by self delusion of grandeur and exceptionalism. Focused on the wrong things and chasing the wrong objectives. Bacevich is trying to lift that veil and offer an alternative vision. Will his advice be heeded? Time will tell but things do not look promising at the moment. Madness continues....

interesting foreign policy book

I enjoyed reading this book, which examined recent American history, our foreign policy goals, our national self-concepts and where they have faults. And made some recommendations for future changes.

Required reading.

With the exception of the subject of 9/11, where the author merely repeats the impossible and discredited official account, I found his analysis of the USA’s problems to be spot on. I lived in the States for 36 years (from 1956 to 1992) a period that covered the USA’s steady decline from post-war superpower to a failing state run by corporations with a smarmy drug dealer from Arkansas as puppet president. Interestingly enough, the country’s interconnected failures were harder to see when I actually lived there, i.e. I was too close to the forest. It took moving back to Europe to enable me to see the trees more clearly. In this short but powerful book the author demonstrates his talent for seeing the pattern and its integral parts. This book should be read by every American. Not just read, but publicly discussed, analyzed, debated, and understood. However, I don’t expect it will be. The message is too painful for a people brought up with nonstop propaganda regarding the USA’s “greatness.” The US empire will therefore continue to decline, thrashing about like a wounded beast with its military (what else does it have?), and go the way of all empires, serving as an example for future historians of how a country chose to destroy itself with negligence, decadence, drugs, and mind boggling social experiments instead of doing the work it would take the be truly great.