A Life in the American Century - by Joseph S Nye (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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.

Also available as an audiobook.

Review Quotes

"Joe Nye is a special storyteller. As the Grandmaster of the study of power--soft, hard, and smart--Nye blends ideas, events, and leaders across the prime decades of the American Century in a tale that informs and entertains."
Robert Zoellick, former President of the World Bank, US Trade Representative, and Deputy Secretary of State, and author of America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

"This is a fascinating book from a wonderful person. Through the insightful eyes of Joe Nye as he grows up in the American Century, we get to see the triumphs and challenges of our times unfold, from Vietnam to the present. The result is a reasonable, realistic, yet also idealistic view of our role in the world."
Walter Isaacson, Professor of History at Tulane University and former CEO of the Aspen Institute, chair of CNN and editor of Time

"Joe Nye's wonderful memoir chronicles an intellect, curiosity and career that dazzle. May he write another ten books full of insight and wisdom."
Jane Harman, Former Congresswoman, Chair of the National Commission on Defense Strategy and author of Insanity Defense

"From his days growing up on a farm to his rise as a public intellectual, Joe Nye has emerged as one of the wisest thinkers of our times. In this meticulous inside account, he shows just how complex and intellectually challenging life has become for our public leaders. We are blessed that Nye and his many colleagues kept the twentiethan American century."
David Gergen, Professor Emeritus of Public Service at Harvard University, and former presidential advisor

"Joe Nye is a giant of international relations theory, and is a rare mix of a practitioner and an academic. His contribution is forever etched in textbooks and briefing books."
Kevin Rudd, former Australian prime minister

"Joe Nye has led a life of service and scholarship like few others. In A Life in the American Century, Nye documents it all--the highs and lows, the heroes and villains, the hard power and the soft power--showing those eager to follow in his footsteps just what it takes to shape one's country and the wider world."
John Gans, former Pentagon speechwriter and author of White House Warriors: How the National Security Council Transformed the American Way of War.

"In this deft memoir, Nye shows how his experiences in academia and policymaking illuminate the inner workings of American power--both hard and soft."
Foreign Affairs

"riveting"
The Foreign Service Journal

About the Author

Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is University Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus and former Dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He also served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Chair of the National Intelligence Council, and a Deputy Under Secretary of State, and won distinguished service awards from all three agencies. He is a world-renowned authority on American power in the modern era whose work has influenced generations of scholars and policy-makers. His books Soft Power, The Future of Power, The Power to Lead, Is the American Century Over? and Do Morals Matter: Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump are widely acclaimed and his writings have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, the National Interest, the Financial Times and many other political publications. Foreign Policy named him one of the top 100 Global Thinkers and, in a recent survey of international relations scholars, he was ranked as the most influential scholar on American foreign policy. He continues to write a regular column for Project Syndicate whilst enjoying life on his New Hampshire farm with his wife Molly.