The End of Influence

What Happens When Other Countries Have the Money

By: Stephen S. Cohen, J. Bradford DeLong

Narrated by: Peter Johnson

At the end of World War II, America had all the money and all the power. Now, after the Great Crash of 2008, America is cash poor. In The End of Influence, world-renowned economists Stephen Cohen and Brad DeLong argue that this loss will have grave consequences for Americas standing in the world, even as it opens up new opportunities for a new multilateralism.

Our new era will be marked by a loss of American power to dictate foreign policy, a loss of American soft cultural power, and a loss of entrepreneurial innovation worldwide. An essential read for business executives and connoisseurs of world politics alike, The End of Influence exposes these alarming trendsand tells us what we can do to maintain stability in the world.

©2010 J. Bradford Delong (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Now I get it!

While this book deals with the specific topic of the shifting of power within the global economy, it served as a great education for me on the interconnectedness of world markets in general.

I'm an active retail investor who spends a lot of time trying to decipher the sound bytes on "money TV" including references to "Dollar Strength", "Fiscal & Monetary Policy" & "Sovereign Dept" in order to form an opinion about Market direction. While we can't all have the background in economics that some of the TV commentary assumes, this book serves as a useful and interesting primer on some difficult, convoluted economic concepts. I have to admit, there are times when I catch myself pondering a concept in one sentence, only to miss the next sentence completely. A second listen should help (or a finger on the pause button).

There is humor in the writing which sometimes is hard to pick out due to the even tone with which this book is read, but this is a thoughtful, intelligent and extremely useful book. It is devoid of hyperbole and sensationalism, which I appreciated. The facts are compelling enough on their own and I enjoyed this book very much.

Economics lesson

The book is interesting if you are a person who understands the science of economics or at least has a working knowledge; otherwise, a reader may find the book hard to follow. The book is a number of years old, but is still valuable because the authors explain economics and history so well the events since publishing can be analyzed and used as additional lessons learned.

While I enjoy a book with lots of interesting vocabulary, and I am a fan of words in general, many of the words used in the book are so unusual that I thought, at first, they were made-up. I looked up each word, but by the last third of the book I found constantly resorting to my dictionary to be distracting and a little irritating. The book would benefit from using more readily used vocabulary.

WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD NOW??

Would you consider the audio edition of The End of Influence to be better than the print version?

Pragmatic, unflinching discussion of what is happening NOW in terms of the rise of the rest of the world, especially China and India-- and the implications for the United States. THIS IS NOT A "sky-is-falling" diatribe on the decline of America. THIS BOOK SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR EVERY AMERICAN AND ESPECIALLY ALL AMERICAN POLITICIANS.

What other book might you compare The End of Influence to and why?

America needs to understand that a great source of its vitality has always been new immigrants. Recognize this fact and embrace a worldview that is not a "zero-sum" game. Learn the lessons from the rise and fall of the British Empire.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Brilliant, succint description of what is going on in the world and the opportunities it presents for America.