Strategic Vision

America and the Crisis of Global Power

De: Zbigniew Brzezinski

Narrado por: Grover Gardner

In 1991, the United States was the only global superpower. It seemed that the 21st century, like the 20th, would belong to America. Then came the stock market bubble, the costly foreign unilateralism of the younger Bush presidency, and the financial catastrophe of 2008. Meanwhile, China was rising and the Middle East was awakening politically. Today it is clear that America is vulnerable - to domestic and international decline, and unregulated greed.

Speaking from decades of experience, Brzezinski considers the implications of the changing distribution of global power, ponders why America’s global appeal is waning, speculates on the likely geopolitical consequences if America declines by 2025 (will China assume America’s central role in world affairs?), and describes a vision of a resurgent America: responsive to challenges, strategically deliberate, and historically enlightened in its global engagement with the new East.

©2011 Original material © 2011 Zbigniew Brzezinski. Recorded by arrangement with Basic Books ™, a division of the Perseus Books Group. (P)2011 (p) 2011 HighBridge Company.

Insightfull and imforming

This is an exercise in consequential thinking on a political and historical scale. Written by a man who's intellect has made the leap from the 20th to the 21st century with ease. Some of our leaders revel in the past while Dr. Brezezinski analyzes where America as a Superpower has been and considers the choices and outcomes ahead. The process flows with facts that help support the conjecture of the visions ... The narration is good and moves along at a nice pace.

very informative, after the partisanship

Solid survey of the bit picture issues surrounding the current geopolitical landscape. Especially interesting was ZB's view on the how the chess pieces of India, Pakistan, China and Russia might move. Great narration.

Maybe just me but it got dry and repetitive.

I found the book to be numbing and my mind would drift as I listened.

Interesting to listen to in 2023

It was interesting to 12 years after it was written. The author was fairly optimistic about the situation with Russia and China but he also talked about what could happen if things went poorly unfortunately, things are going very poorly.

Great historical background info, disappointed it seemed a little biased on some points.

Would be 5 star read if some obvious facts had not have been oddly left out. A few comments about US President policies he seemed to pull only bits that fit into his narrative and left out others that did not. Most disturbing is that he is talking about future powers and does not mention anything about China supplying our enemies with military weapons to those fighting against us in all parts of the World. Weapons used to kill our people. Surely this strategy by China would play into their view of future dominate power, but it is not mentioned at all. So, read it, but don’t believe everything you read.

Interesting Enough

What did you like best about Strategic Vision? What did you like least?

It has some interesting notions and concepts regarding possible future hostilities between nations and resources.

Did Grover Gardner do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

There is only one character- its a narrative of Zbigniew himself.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. it would be ripe with propoganda.

Any additional comments?

I didnt gain any real useful information from this book. It did have some interesting commentary on historical tension and where america is likely to find itself in the future if it does not focus its attention at strategically positioning itself for continued dominance or the possibility of subservience to a growing Chinese economy.

good recap of US position in world

Very US centered. Facts are presented unvarnished but also unsourced. Argues that the world is better off with the US in leadership. I am not convinced. If the US can act as prescribed in this book, maybe, but we often do not act in our own best interest much less that of the world's.

Very interesting and neutral analysis

Really good knowledge about the geopolitics, especially to help understand the current climate in Eastern Europe. I am curious to know why Africa’s influence is close to none in this analysis though.

Insightful

If you could sum up Strategic Vision in three words, what would they be?

A very insightful and clear read regarding boundaries versus ethnicity mismatches in the Middle East

Everyone interested in the world should read this

This was a fantastic book. It is the perfect length. The author is one of the smartest thinkers out there. Grover Gardner is by far and away the best audio book narrator I have heard. I have actually listened to books simply because he was the narrator.

The beginning section of the book is honestly the best, most concise recap of modern world history I've ever read. I kept thinking, "so-and-so should really listen to this." The beginning of the review of the current (at the time of the writing) situation seems a bit alarmist (in hindsight). The author is certainly down on the 2 Bush presidents and the 2 wars. It gets a bit dry at the beginning of the "what if" section. Of course we hear plenty about Global Warming.

The last third of the book--along with the opening--is what saves it and makes it a 5-star. The reader will surely find his musings about the future of the Russian situation fascinating, looking back some 12 years later. The very last section is where we finally get down to strategies for the future. The book ended with me wanting more, many times is not the case by the end of a lengthy political science book.