America is debating its role in the world. Critics contend that we are leading from behind in places such as Libya, and not at all in places such as Syria. There are pervasive fears about our lost influence in the international economy and of the threat posed by a rising China. The debate has been shaped by concepts of American decline and Western disunity and the rise of a powerful bloc of emerging powers. The result, it is argued, is that we live in a "post-Western" world, a leaderless world, where conflict and disorder will outpace cooperation and problem solving. In this provocative Brookings book, Bruce Jones explains why these are myths or, at the very least, exaggerations. The United States is still by far the most influential actor in international politics and security, and it does not face a changing world alone - America has myriad allies, including many of the world's top economic and security powers. Together, the United States and its partners still hold the preponderance of power in international politics and economics and will for some time to come.What's more, the rising powers are deeply divided among themselves - in actuality, there is very little mortar among the emergent BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). And some of the emerging powers are actively seeking to strengthen, not weaken, the international order - though of course, they want a greater seat at the table as they do so. Nor is it just these five that are rising: among the ranks of nations whose influence in international politics is increasing are countries such as South Korea and Germany, close U.S. allies both. And while China is clearly going to challenge some aspects of American leadership, there are other places where the United States and China share interests. This account - which draws on years of insider access to top decisionmakers both in Washington and in the capitals of the rising powers - shows there is more appetite for cooperation than meets the eye. There are risks ahead, to be sure; but in the race between the American-led order and the "coming disorder," it's still ours to lose.
Show moreAmerica is debating its role in the world. Critics contend that we are leading from behind in places such as Libya, and not at all in places such as Syria. There are pervasive fears about our lost influence in the international economy and of the threat posed by a rising China. The debate has been shaped by concepts of American decline and Western disunity and the rise of a powerful bloc of emerging powers. The result, it is argued, is that we live in a "post-Western" world, a leaderless world, where conflict and disorder will outpace cooperation and problem solving. In this provocative Brookings book, Bruce Jones explains why these are myths or, at the very least, exaggerations. The United States is still by far the most influential actor in international politics and security, and it does not face a changing world alone - America has myriad allies, including many of the world's top economic and security powers. Together, the United States and its partners still hold the preponderance of power in international politics and economics and will for some time to come.What's more, the rising powers are deeply divided among themselves - in actuality, there is very little mortar among the emergent BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). And some of the emerging powers are actively seeking to strengthen, not weaken, the international order - though of course, they want a greater seat at the table as they do so. Nor is it just these five that are rising: among the ranks of nations whose influence in international politics is increasing are countries such as South Korea and Germany, close U.S. allies both. And while China is clearly going to challenge some aspects of American leadership, there are other places where the United States and China share interests. This account - which draws on years of insider access to top decisionmakers both in Washington and in the capitals of the rising powers - shows there is more appetite for cooperation than meets the eye. There are risks ahead, to be sure; but in the race between the American-led order and the "coming disorder," it's still ours to lose.
Show moreBruce Jones is a senior fellow and director of the International Order and Strategy project at Brookings, and a consulting professor at Stanford University. He has past experience in Middle East peace negotiations, crisis management in the Balkans, and intergovernmental negotiations on security and transnational threats. He is also chair of the New York University Center on International Cooperation.His other books include Shaping the Emerging World (Brookings 2013), Power & Responsibility (Brookings 2009) and the forthcoming Risk Pivot (Brookings 2014).
"An indispensable antidote both to boosterish America-first-ism and to doomy Asia-first-ism. Jones demonstrates that the 'rise of the rest' need not be a zero-sum game for the U.S., because new powers like China depend on the international system that the U.S. leads. Jones shows us that optimism can be based, not on ideology or blind faith, but on a hard-headed understanding of global trends." James Traub, columnist at Foreign Policy and author of The Freedom Agenda|"Bruce Jones's analysis is persuasive; better still, he provides a detailed manual for American coalitional diplomacy to address problems from climate change to maritime security. Still Ours to Lead accepts the reality of rising powers while reminding established powers, above all the United States, of just how much they stand to lose if they fail to lead." Anne-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO, New America Foundation, and Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University|"This smart and important book provides a blueprint for American global leadership in the coming decades. With all the hype about American decline, following a period of what some have called American hubris, Bruce Jones offers a clear-eyed assessment of the true state of the international order and a realistic path ahead for the U.S. His analysis and his prescriptions offer wisdom for all sides in the debate." Robert Kagan, historian and author of The World America Made
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