The World America Made

By: Robert Kagan

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

What would the world look like if America were to reduce its role as a global leader in order to focus all its energies on solving its problems at home? And is America really in decline? Robert Kagan, New York Times best-selling author and one of the country’s most influential strategic thinkers, paints a vivid, alarming picture of what the world might look like if the United States were truly to let its influence wane.

Although Kagan asserts that much of the current pessimism is misplaced, he warns that if America were indeed to commit “preemptive superpower suicide,” the world would see the return of war among rising nations as they jostle for power; the retreat of democracy around the world as Vladimir Putin’s Russia and authoritarian China acquire more clout; and the weakening of the global free-market economy, which the United States created and has supported for more than sixty years. We’ve seen this before—in the breakdown of the Roman Empire and the collapse of the European order in World War I.

Potent, incisive, and engaging, The World America Made is a reminder that the American world order is worth preserving, and America dare not decline.

Critic reviews

"The book makes the case that the nation’s decline is a myth, a reaction to the financial crisis of 2008 rather than to any genuine geopolitical shifts." —The New York Times

"These ideas struck a chord with a President accused of leading a great American retreat."
—Michael Crowley, Time

"Kagan paints with a broad brush, sprinkling a memorable metaphor here, a striking simile there . . . He provides a compelling demonstration that whether it's protecting the sea lanes vital for free trade or nudging societies toward democracy, the world stands a better chance with America in prime position than with China or Russia in the lead." —The New York Times Book Review

"[Marco] Rubio's foreign-policy views have evidently been recently shaped by a reading of Robert Kagan's The World America Made, a much-discussed refutation of the now-popular notion of American decline. As a Romney advisor who has penned bedside reading for President Barack Obama, Kagan could plausibly claim to be the most prominently cited writer in Washington right now." —Foreign Policy Magazine

"Intelligent, cogent, and timely." —Publishers Weekly

"At once a robust defence of the role America plays in world affairs and a determined rejection of the 'myth' that America is in decline." —Financial Times

"Serious, scholarly . . . [These are] ideas expressed clearly and consicely." —David Ignatius, Washington Post Writers Group

"An extended and convincing argument against the thesis that there is anything inevitable about American decline." — Max Boot, Commentary

"The foreign policy blueprint for the next Republican president." —Senator Marco Rubio

"Kagan grabs the reader’s attention from page one . . . He makes a powerful point: If America were to make a serious effort to disengage in world affairs, the world quickly would devolve into a much more scary and dangerous place . . . If you have time to read just one book, I suggest Kagan’s." —Major General Perry Smith

"Magisterial . . . It's a small book, it's a great book." —Bill Bennett

"Very important . . . A wonderful book." —Hugh Hewitt

"A must-read." —Lou Dobbs

accurate analysis

spot on analysis. the work appeals across the political spectrum and is very prescient at this juncture in our history

Addressing The Hard Questions Of America's Future

This is an important book by a leading scholar which comes to grips with the question of whether America's role as the dominant global superpower is ending and, if so, what the coming multipolar world would look like. Kagan takes a hard look at major power rise and fall and conflicts throughout history, particularly over the last few centuries, and comes to some sobering conclusions. While American superpower dominance has not resulted in a perfect world, American decline would most likely not result in a better one. History teaches that the end of American dominance would likely produce a multipolar world with more war as the newer emerging powers flex their muscles and test their limits. Outright nuclear war between two rival major powers would not be unthinkable and certainly more likely than it is today. With the increased influence of powers such as China and Russia, there would be fewer democracies and more tyrannies. Trade barriers and trade wars would crop up and the world as a whole would be less prosperous. Kagan explains that, based upon history, the world order the U.S. has created, extolling democracy and free trade and creating some check on regional aggressions -- such as the Balkan conflict in the 1990s and the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990 -- would crumble with the weakening of US dominance and that the emerging multipolar world would likely be one which is more violent and less free. Kagan concludes that American decline as the sole global superpower is not desirable if one values peace, freedom, democracy and free trade prosperity. Nor is US decline necessarily inevitable, at least in the near future. Intelligently written and highly recommended.

Addressing The Hard Questions Of America's Future

This is an important book by a leading scholar which comes to grips with the question of whether America's role as the dominant global superpower is ending and, if so, what the coming multipolar world would look like. Kagan takes a hard look at major power rise and fall and conflicts throughout history, particularly over the last few centuries, and comes to some sobering conclusions. While American superpower dominance has not resulted in a perfect world, American decline would most likely not result in a better one. History teaches that the end of American dominance would likely produce a multipolar world with more war as the newer emerging powers flex their muscles and test their limits. Outright nuclear war between two rival major powers would not be unthinkable and certainly more likely than it is today. With the increased influence of powers such as China and Russia, there would be fewer democracies and more tyrannies. Trade barriers and trade wars would crop up and the world as a whole would be less prosperous. Kagan explains that, based upon history, the world order the U.S. has created, extolling democracy and free trade and creating some check on regional aggressions -- such as the Balkan conflict in the 1990s and the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990 -- would crumble with the weakening of US dominance and that the emerging multipolar world would likely be one which is more violent and less free. Kagan concludes that American decline as the sole global superpower is not desirable if one values peace, freedom, democracy and free trade prosperity. Nor is US decline necessarily inevitable, at least in the near future. Intelligently written and highly recommended.

Important Reading

Kagan explains in a clear and concise manner why the U.S. cannot retreat into isolationism. Regardless of whether we want to be the world's only super power, there really is no other choice. He shows why a different strategy would be bad for us, and, importantly, bad for the rest of the world.

Things look good

The world is drifting in Americas direction by large amounts. China has implacably shoued both its week and ugly sides at the same time. Demographics will take care of the rest.

Oct 5, 22
Borh China and Russha are fast evaporating, both demographically and as current great powers. Further, almost the entire West has been driven to consolidate by the Russian attact with its surprise catastrophic failure. The USA is by default not just the last man standing, but aparently the ONLY man standing!