America in the World

A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

By: Robert B. Zoellick

Narrated by: Brian Troxell

America has a long history of diplomacy–ranging from Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson to Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, and James Baker–now is your chance to see the impact these Americans have had on the world.
Recounting the actors and events of U.S. foreign policy, Zoellick identifies five traditions that have emerged from America's encounters with the world: the importance of North America; the special roles trading, transnational, and technological relations play in defining ties with others; changing attitudes toward alliances and ways of ordering connections among states; the need for public support, especially through Congress; and the belief that American policy should serve a larger purpose. These traditions frame a closing review of post-Cold War presidencies, which Zoellick foresees serving as guideposts for the future.

Both a sweeping work of history and an insightful guide to U.S. diplomacy past and present, America in the World serves as an informative companion and practical adviser to readers seeking to understand the strategic and immediate challenges of U.S. foreign policy during an era of transformation.

Critic reviews

"AMERICA IN THE WORLD is a highly accessible and engaging history of U.S. diplomacy written by one of the country's smartest and most capable foreign policy practitioners. Robert Zoellick understands better than most how inseparable America's fate is from the rest of the world, and that timely lesson shines through the pages of this book."—Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

"Bob Zoellick has accomplished the near impossible -- he has written a seminal work thatis groundbreaking, historically insightful, and entertaining in a way that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike. America in the World provides a new framework for understanding the history of America's foreign policy, and is chock-full of fascinating vignettes that reveal our nation's pragmatism and innovative spirit."—Henry M. Paulson, Jr., former United States Secretary of the Treasury

"This book is so sweeping and insightful that it will revive the art of diplomatic history. Robert Zoellick emphasizes America's pragmatic instincts, from Benjamin Franklin to George H.W. Bush, as well as the key role that technology and trade have played in furthering our influence. In addition to being a fascinating historic narrative, this book provides a great framework for understanding our role in the world today."—Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci

"Few people understand statecraft or have practiced it as adroitly as Robert Zoellick. His new book, AMERICA IN THE WORLD, examines the history of U.S. diplomacy and the emphasis our nation's diplomats have placed on pragmatic results over theoretical approaches. As we march into the uncertain future of a multipolar world, Zoellick successfully argues that this tradition will be critical for the country to maintain its place on the world stage."
—James A. Baker, III, 61st U.S. Secretary of State

"A masterful review of America's role in the world from Benjamin Franklin's foray to Paris as America's first diplomat to the tumultuous experiences of recent years, with thoughtful reflections on the traditions that have evolved since our founding and a superb consideration of the possibilities for the years ahead. AMERICA IN THE WORLD is a wonderful read, one that reflects the pragmatism of an experienced practitioner, the painstaking research of a serious scholar, the trained eye of a historian, and the judiciousness of thinking that has distinguished the best episodes in America's foreign policy -- and Bob Zoellick's contributions to them."—General David Petraeus (US Army, Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA

Interesting

Interesting overview of US diplomatic traditions. However there is an eerie omission of the tradition “hard realism” like that of putting stability over democracy and human rights. This has been very true of the Middle East region throughout US engagement with that region and of its policy with many third world countries during the Cold War.

Book sticks to the facts, very dry

This is a decent overview of the history of US foreign policy, The author held post(s) in foreign policy and occasionally comments on his experience with them but overall it is a very dry, much abbreviated history with a very dry narration lacking in tone and expression, I didn't hate it, I'm glad that I read it but I was also glad that I finished it.

Narration is so poorly done, I can’t recall the information

Narrator emphasizes random words and doesn’t seem to have any concept of the context or cadence of the sentences he’s reading. It was so entirely distracting that I kept realizing I had no idea what was going on in the book. The subject touches on my own area of research and I was looking forward to listening to it, but there is no way I’ll bother to finish it in this medium.