The Choice

The Choice

Global Domination or Global Leadership

by Zbigniew Brzezinski

This was a hard book to follow. Mr. Brzezinski's prose is a little too high falutin' for me but I can distill the whole book in this one excerpt,

"What is the central purpose of America's unprecedented global power? The answer will ultimately determine whether international consensus legitimates and reinforces American leadership, or whether American primacy relies largely on assertive domination based on might."

Brzezinski goes on to argue that it's better to lead by example than to dictate by military-backed fiat, but, as Spiderman's uncle once said, "With great power comes great responsibility."

America views itself as the historical champion of democracy, and subliminally exports democratic values through the currents of globalization -- but this also generates world-wide expectations of America that do not accommodate the hierarchical demands of hegemonic power.

In other words, to whom much is given, much is expected. And Brzezinski makes that point clearly,

Only if it places a higher premium on the emerging awareness of a shared global interest will America derive any political benefit from its globally radiant cultural appeal.

As I said this book was written in an ostentatious manner, but the points Brzezinski makes are thoughtful and thought provoking.

tags: book review  foreign policy