In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of US Global Power

Description

In a completely original analysis, prize-winning 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. Contents Introduction. US Global Power and Me PART I. Understanding the US Empire Chapter 1. The World Island and the Rise of America Chapter 2. “Our S.O.B.s”—America and the Au tocrats Chapter 3. Covert Netherworld PART II. US Strategies for Survival Chapter 4. A Global Surveillance State Chapter 5. Torture and the Eclipse of Empires Chapter 6. Beyond Bayonets and Battleships: The Pentagon’s Wonder Weapons PART III. Dynamics of US Decline Chapter 7. Grandmasters of the Great Game Chapter 8. Five Scenarios for the End of the American Century Acknowledgments Notes Index