Summary
"America will remain the world's only superpower for the foreseeable future. But what sort of superpower? What role should America play in the world? What role do you want America to play? Ian Bremmer argues that Washington's directionless foreign policy has become prohibitively expensive and increasingly dangerous. Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. policymakers have stumbled from crisis to crisis in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine without a clear strategy. Ordinary Americans too often base their foreign policy choices on allegiance or opposition to the party in power. We can no longer afford this complacency, especially now that both parties are deeply divided about America's role in the world." -- provided by publisher.

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Bremmer urges us to think more deeply about what sort of role America should play and how it should use its superpower status. He explores three competing options:

• Independent America: America should no longer take responsibility for solving other people’s problems, and instead should lead by example.

• Moneyball America: Washington can’t meet every international challenge, but we can and should focus on opportunities and defend U.S. interests where they’re threatened.

• Indispensable America: Only America can defend the values on which global stability increasingly depends. We will never live in a stable world while others are denied their most basic freedoms.

There are sound arguments for and against each of these choices, but we must choose. Washington can no longer improvise a foreign policy without a lasting commitment to a coherent strategy.
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Review
“This brilliant and provocative book is required reading for every presidential candidate in 2016—and everyone who will cast a vote.”
—Nouriel Roubini, chairman of Roubini Global Economics

“Bremmer deals with America’s role in a world in transition with honesty and sincerity. This is a valuable contribution to an important debate from an experienced and insightful leader.”
—Jeffrey R. Immelt, chairman and CEO of GE

“Superpower is an insightful and original piece of work—drawing on Bremmer’s remarkable understanding of politics, America, and the world. This is a must read for all those concerned with the twenty-first-century geopolitical landscape.”
—Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund

“This book provides a clear and incisive way to think about America’s role in the world. Should it focus on its interests, its values, or its domestic needs? Bremmer offers his own opinions, but more important, he will help you sharpen your own.”
—Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute; bestselling author of Steve Jobs and The Innovators

"Superpower is a creatively organized and critically important book: Bremmer challenges Americans to hvae a difficult but increasingly inescapable conversation about the role they wish their country to play in world affairs, and he objectively gives them the facts and considerations they need to do so intelligently."
—The Times Literary Supplement



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About the Author
IAN BREMMER is the president and founder of Eurasia Group, the leading global political risk research and consulting firm. He has published nine books, including the national bestsellers The End of the Free Market and Every Nation for Itself. He lectures widely and writes a weekly foreign affairs column for Time magazine, where he’s editor at large. He lives in New York City.