In the Shadows of the American Century
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Narrated by:
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Arthur Morey
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By:
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Alfred W. McCoy
About this listen
In a completely original analysis, prizewinning historian Alfred W. McCoy explores America's rise as a world power - from the 1890s through the Cold War - and its bid to extend its hegemony deep into the 21st century through a fusion of cyberwar, space warfare, trade pacts, and military alliances. McCoy then analyzes the marquee instruments of US hegemony - covert intervention, client elites, psychological torture, and worldwide surveillance.
Peeling back layers of secrecy, McCoy exposes a military and economic battle for global domination fought in the shadows, largely unknown to those outside the highest rungs of power. Can the United States extend the "American Century" or will China guide the globe for the next 100 years? McCoy devotes his final chapter to these questions, boldly laying out a series of scenarios that could lead to the end of Washington's world domination by 2030.
©2018 Alfred W. McCoy (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- By John Robert BEHRMAN on 02-24-09
By: Ahmed Rashid
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The Weaponisation of Everything
- A Field Guide to the New Way of War
- By: Mark Galeotti
- Narrated by: Mark Galeotti
- Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Hybrid war, grey-zone warfare, unrestricted war: Today, traditional conflict - fought with guns, bombs, and drones - has become too expensive to wage, too unpopular at home, and too difficult to manage. In an age when America threatens Europe with sanctions, and when China spends billions buying influence abroad, the world is heading for a new era of permanent low-level conflict, often unnoticed, undeclared, and unending.
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Clear, concise, and thought provoking
- By Dad / Husband (who rarely reviews) on 03-08-22
By: Mark Galeotti
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Crouching Tiger
- What China's Militarism Means for the World
- By: Peter Navarro
- Narrated by: Stephen McLaughlin
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Will there be war with China? This book provides the most complete and accurate assessment of the probability of conflict between the United States and the rising Asian superpower. Equally important, it lays out an in-depth analysis of the possible pathways to peace. Written like a geopolitical detective story, the narrative encourages listener interaction by starting each chapter with an intriguing question that often challenges conventional wisdom.
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Interesting policy book ???
- By Tom on 12-14-16
By: Peter Navarro
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Oceans Ventured
- Winning the Cold War at Sea
- By: John F. Lehman
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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When Ronald Reagan took office in January 1981, the US and NATO were losing the Cold War. The USSR had superiority in conventional weapons and manpower in Europe and had embarked on a massive program to gain naval preeminence. But Reagan already had a plan to end the Cold War without armed conflict.
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Detailed Retelling of 1980s Navy War Games
- By Brandon Halvorsen on 09-28-18
By: John F. Lehman
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To Govern the Globe
- World Orders and Catastrophic Change
- By: Alfred W. McCoy
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In a tempestuous narrative that sweeps across five continents and seven centuries, this book explains how a succession of catastrophes—from the devastating Black Death of 1350 through the coming climate crisis of 2050—has produced a relentless succession of rising empires and fading world orders.
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Fascinating and devastating
- By Snap to it on 06-16-23
By: Alfred W. McCoy
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The New Rules of War
- Victory in the Age of Durable Disorder
- By: Sean McFate
- Narrated by: Joe Knezevich
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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What is the future of war? How can we survive? If Americans are drawn into major armed conflict, can we win? McFate calls upon the legends of military study Carl von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, and others, as well as his own experience, and carefully constructs the new rules for the future of military engagement, the ways we can fight and win in an age of entropy: one where corporations, mercenaries, and rogue states have more power and ‘nation states’ have less.
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Refutes Himself Repeatedly...And Never Notices
- By Brian on 01-06-21
By: Sean McFate
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Out of the Mountains
- The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla
- By: David Kilcullen
- Narrated by: Christopher Kipiniak
- Length: 14 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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When Americans think of modern warfare, what comes to mind is the US army skirmishing with terrorists and insurgents in the mountains of Afghanistan. But the face of global conflict is ever-changing. In Out of the Mountains, David Kilcullen, one of the world's leading experts on current and future conflict, offers a groundbreaking look at what may happen after today's wars end.
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Insightful analysis
- By Anon on 11-06-19
By: David Kilcullen
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Twilight Warriors
- The Soldiers, Spies, and Special Agents Who Are Revolutionizing the American Way of War
- By: James Kitfield
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In Twilight Warriors, award-winning foreign correspondent James Kitfield introduces us to the tight-knit brotherhood that strives to keep the United States safe from the dimly understood threats it now faces. Together these men have broken down the boundaries between their respective agencies to engineer a network-centric way of fighting using a seamless web of intelligence analysts, information networks, FBI forensics experts, and Special Forces units to take the fight to America's enemies as never before.
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South African Perspectives
- By Bernard Remacle on 03-22-17
By: James Kitfield
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Destined for War
- Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?
- By: Graham Allison
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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War with China is much more likely than anyone thinks. When Athens went to war with Sparta some 2,500 years ago, the Greek historian Thucydides identified one simple cause: A rising power threatened to displace a ruling one. As the eminent Harvard scholar Graham Allison explains, in the past 500 years, great powers have found themselves in "Thucydides's Trap" 16 times. In 12 of the 16, the results have been catastrophic.
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Balances, Counter-Balances and Traps
- By Joyce U. Olewe on 10-09-17
By: Graham Allison
What listeners say about In the Shadows of the American Century
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rafael
- 02-09-21
Master piece!
The kind of book all American should read to meat their demons and fortunes, and make America the greatest country beyond an empire. Thanks to the authors. I greatly appreciate it!
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- Badger
- 11-28-21
Synoptic perspective on America’s role in the world, full of surprises
Prof. McCoy’s lifelong study of America’s exercise of power from the dawn of its imperial venture after the Spanish-American war up to the present - plus speculative scenarios through 2030 and beyond - covers diplomatic, administrative, economic, and military trends and strategies. His unorthodox short list of the major American strategists - they are Elihu Root, Zbigniew Brezinkski, and Barack Obama - are a tip- off: this is no conventional history. Very much worth reading or hearing.
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- Alex Scheel
- 03-29-21
The future looks bleak for America
Important reading for anyone worried about the future of American empire. McCoy compares the collapse of the American empire to others and puts forth four distinct scenarios of collapse. Very relevant today with a new administration in office.
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- Nick
- 05-03-22
HeS bIaSeD
The dude was literally hunted by the CIA. His dad was a veteran who killed himself. He isn't biased, in fact he's far more qualified than any of us to truly understand and wrap his head around this.
This book is just facts and future speculation. It's things that happened and could be happening, but with a personal twist that helps this feel more like a conversation than a lecture.
Yeah, so ignore the brainwashed patriots in the comments. This book was never gonna be for them.
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- David
- 10-06-20
Endless bad spirit
Repetitious self promotion with grumpy spicing. Nothing new except new heapings of ignorance Chinese capability. Perhaps there was a discussion of Chinese demografic colapse but I did not see it.
A simple wase of tine. Howeve! Robert Kagen wrote "The World America Made" that puts buts the entire bost WW2 era into marvelos historic and cultural perspective.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jack RedL
- 06-01-22
It would have been better without the bias.
It would have been better without the political bias. When just dealing with facts, it was good, but the Author was clearly bias for and against a political party. Topics covered about other countries were fairly even, but very clearly he had a political bias.
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- Alyssa L.
- 07-20-21
A fascinating look into US mismanagement and as result decline.
Filled with history of US endeavors both domestically and internationally, this book seeks to root out common mythology of the US state and replace it with a coherent history finished with official projection and some of the writers own projections. I found the book both unsettling in its candor but refreshing in its honesty. I strongly recommend anyone looking to understand US hegemony better to give a listen or a read. The author is compelling in his arguments and bolstered by historical president. A five star book!
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2 people found this helpful
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- Peter J. Metz
- 11-13-22
A disturbing view of America’s recent past and possible future.
Filled with facts and historical information, this book paints a sad picture of America’s misadventures internationally in recent times. It offers several mostly gloomy scenarios about the future. But at the very end offers the hope if we can only get our act together soon America’s future might be a good one.
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- Cade Campbell
- 02-24-21
Past student, McCoy is for real.
Al McCoy is one of the best history professors I've ever had. I've studied under McCoy and attended his lectures on The War in Vietnam and Colonialism & Imperialism in South East Asia. Both from speaking with him perspnally, listening to his lectures and participatong in discussions guided by this skilled historian - I can truly say he is a well read man and has a way with words when it comes to teaching American history and it's impacts both foreign and domestic.
This book is an example of his mastery of the subject - very good book!
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3 people found this helpful
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- John
- 10-16-18
excellent and detailed summary
McCoy is brilliant ...he presents an excellent and detailed summary of events...not for the squeamish
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2 people found this helpful