For the past eight decades we have lived in the American Century - a period during which the
US has enjoyed unrivalled power - be it political economic or military - on the global stage.
Born on the cusp of this new era Joseph S. Nye Jr. has spent a lifetime illuminating our
understanding of the changing contours of America power and world affairs. His many books on
the nature of power and political leadership have rightly earned him his reputation as one of
the most influential international relations scholars in the world today. In this deeply
personal book Joseph Nye shares his own journey living through the American century. From his
early years growing up on a farm in rural New Jersey to his time in the State Department
Pentagon and Intelligence Community during the Carter and Clinton administrations where he
witnessed American power up close shaping policy on key issues such as nuclear proliferation
and East Asian security. After 9 11 drew the US into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan Nye remained
an astute observer and critic of the Bush Obama and Trump presidencies. Today American primacy
may be changing but he concludes with a faint ray of guarded optimism about the future of his
country in a richer but riskier world.
