In the Shadows of the American Centur..., Alfred W. McCoy
In the Shadows of the American Centur..., Alfred W. McCoy
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In the Shadows of the American Century
The Rise and Decline of US Global Power

Author: Alfred W. McCoy

Narrator: Arthur Morey

Unabridged: 12 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/30/2018

Synopsis

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 twenty-first 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 hundred 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.

About Alfred W. McCoy

Alfred McCoy holds the Harrington Chair in History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His book Policing America’s Empire won the Kahin Prize from the Association for Asian Studies.

About Arthur Morey

Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Chris on October 02, 2017

Since the financial crisis in 2008, I have read many, many books about the American Century and the widely-shared perception that American Empire is in the midst of a terminal decline. But never have I read nearly so cogent an explanation of both the rise of American global dominance and a blueprint......more

Goodreads review by Murtaza on September 14, 2017

Even before the election of Donald Trump, it seemed clear that the United States was experiencing a serious decline in its global influence relative to emerging powers on the Eurasian continent. The election of Trump has set this process into overdrive and seems to open the possibility of the U.S. d......more

Goodreads review by Pourya on September 19, 2017

McCoy is not some chicken little. He is a serious academic. And he has guts. During the Vietnam War, McCoy was ambushed by CIA-backed paramilitaries as he investigated the swelling heroin trade. The CIA tried to stop the publication of his now classic book, “The Politics of Heroin.” His phone was tap......more

Goodreads review by Athan on November 14, 2017

The clue is in the title: the author, professor Alfred W. McCoy, believes that what he calls the American “Empire” has lasted about a century and is drawing to an end. This is his account of why and how this will come about. If it’s Elon Musk take-no-prisoners optimism about the future that you’re lo......more

Quotes

“Narrator Arthur Morey’s voice has a ring of knowledgeable world-weariness as he provides listeners a history of US hegemony…Delving deeply into our military infrastructure in land, sea, space, and cyberspace, Morey relates McCoy’s critical assessments with equal clarity and intelligence, taking listeners through US strengths and its policy failures. Harrowing but important listening.” AudioFile

“This provocative study…is history with profound relevance to events that are unfolding before our eyes.” Andrew J. Bacevich, New York Times bestselling author

“McCoy’s detailed, panoramic analysis of the past, present, and future of the American empire covers all spheres of activity…and seasons all of this with some fascinating personal vignettes.” John Dower, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

"The case that Alfred McCoy makes—that much of America’s decline is due to its own contradictions and failures—is a sad one. He provides a glimmer of hope that America can ease into the role of a more generous, more collaborative, if less powerful, world player.” Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

“Provides an autopsy on a dying empire….Scenarios relayed by McCoy in dark terms could in turn provide positive opportunities for societal change as the necessity for constant war is removed.” Progressive

“[A] brilliant and deeply informed must-read for anyone seriously interested in geopolitics, the history of Empire, and the shape of the future.” New York Journal of Books

“Sobering reading for geopolitics mavens and Risk aficionados alike.” Kirkus Reviews

“A meticulous, eye-opening account of the rise, since 1945, and impending premature demise of the American Century of world domination.” Ann Jones, author of They Were Soldiers

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