Global Powers in the 21st Century: Strategies and Relations

by Alexander T.J. Lennon (Editor), Amanda Kozlowski (Editor)

Experts analyze the changing perspectives and objectives of global powers China, Japan, Russia, India, and the European Union in a strategic landscape shaped by the Iraq War. Although the United States is considered the world's only superpower, other major powers seek to strengthen the roles they play on the global stage. Because of the Iraq War and its repercussions, many countries have placed an increased emphasis on multilateralism. This new desire for a multipolar world, however, may obscure the obvious question of what objectives other powerful countries seek. Few scholars and policymakers have addressed the role of the other major powers in a post-9/11 world. Global Powers in the 21st Century fills this gap, offering in-depth analyses of China, Japan, Russia, India, and the European Union in this new global context. Prominent analysts, including Zbigniew Brzezinski, C. Raja Mohan, David Shambaugh, Dmitri Trenin, Akio Watanabe, and Wu Xinbo, examine the policies and positions of these global players from both international and domestic perspectives. The book discusses each power's domestic politics, sources of power, post-9/11 changes, relationship with the United States, adjustments to globalization, and vision of its place in the world. Global Powers in the 21st Century offers readers a clear look at the handful of actors that will shape the world in the years ahead. Contributors
Franco Algieri, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Yong Deng, Xenia Dormandy, Evan A. Feigenbaum, Michael J. Green, Robert E. Hunter, Edward J. Lincoln, Jeffrey Mankoff, C. Raja Mohan, Thomas G. Moore, Robin Niblett, George Perkovich, Gideon Rachman, Richard J. Samuels, Timothy M. Savage, Teresita C. Schaffer, David Shambaugh, Robert Sutter, Dmitri Trenin, Celeste A. Wallander, Akio Watanabe, Wu Xinbo

435 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jarrod · Rating 1 out of 5]

Same stuff, different cover. There has been a string of books recently about the new Global Powers in the 21st Century, this book is much like those and suffers the same faults.
1) It doesn't define what makes a power great
2) Doesn't define a method to measure or judge the rising powers
3) Won't commit to a timeline or reasonable expectation when the said rising powers will be able to assert themselves, but trust them it will happen as they say in the next 100 years...
4) Lacks imagination
5) Fails to address potential problems within the rising powers
6) Fails to offer reasons why the potential powers that are currently on the fringe of the current systems will either integrate or offer a compelling alternative that will shift capital and power in their direction
7) Is completely wrong about Russia

The list could go on...but perhaps it is unfair to pick on this book as it is a collection of writings from various experts and not a unified theory as the title of the book might suggest.