America in Retreat

The Decline of US Leadership from WW2 to Covid-19

By: Michael Pembroke

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin

In the heady days after 1945, the authority of the United States was unrivaled and, with the founding of the UN, a new era of international co-operation seemed to have begun. But 75 years later, its influence has already diminished. The world has now entered a post-American era, argues Michael Pembroke, defined by a flourishing Asia and the ascendancy of China, as much as by the decline of the United States.

This book is a short history of that decline; how high standards and treasured principles were ignored; how idealism was replaced by hubris and moral compromise; and how adherence to the rule of law became selective. It is also a look into the future - a future dominated by greater Asia and China in particular. We are in the midst of the third great power shift in modern history - from Europe to America to Asia.

Covering wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, interventions in Iran, Guatemala and Chile, and a retreat from international engagement with the UN, WHO and, increasingly, trade agreements, Pembroke sketches the history of America's retreat from universal principles to provide a clear-eyed analysis of the dangers of American exceptionalism.

©2020 Michael Pembroke (P)2021 Tantor

An eye opener.

It is truly amazing how much we, the average citizens, do not know or understand. Even if the information in this book is only partly true, it’s frightening. Who can we trust anymore?