Joseph S. Nye, Jr. (1937–2025)

Buyer beware! This is an old lecture. Older than the 98 copyright provided in the material, the lecturer is clearly performing this before the fall of the Soviet Union judging by the content. That means it's significantly dated at this point. That said it’s a good presentation and the historical perspective of how the napoleonic, first and second world wars changed the political game still holds up and are views you will encounter even today.
It has some historical value as a US positive show more presentation of its time, predicting that the information economy will spell the end of the Soviet Union along with nationalistic awakenings. Perhaps especially prescient are the thoughts about the diffusion of technology and the worries of the future being transnational issues including terrorism.
Good lecture, just 3 decades out of date. show less

This is a sophisticated analysis of power. The scholarship behind the analysis is impressive: Nye seems to have a real example for every variation of power that he examines. At times going through the nuances gets a little tedious. The chapter on possible American decline which includes discussions of other powers gets more interesting. Also the summing up of "smart power" and the recommendations for the United States going forward. He identifies various risk areas such as immigration, show more overreaction to terrorism, economic problems. So while the book was written before the shock of the Trump Administration, the framework and the specific observations are very relevant to what has happened in the first year of that Administration. Well worth reading to understand what is happening to American power today. show less

Nye’s treatise on the declining influence of today’s hegemony is quite timely given the contentious political landscape of our times. Indeed, The Paradox of American Power: Why the World’s Only Superpower Can’t Go it Alone attempts to contextualise the consequences of the Bush Administration’s unilateralist policies and reminds the reader the subtle benefits of soft power. This book reminds me of former Canadian foreign minister, Lloyd Axworthy’s venture into the same fray a show more couple of years ago. Admittedly, I enjoyed the latter’s thoughts to a greater degree, but that can be attributed to my nationalist bias and my peculiar interests in the policies and ideals that Axworthy espouses. Overall, Nye’s treatise is eloquent as well as informative, yet the book contains some noticeable typos that distracted this reader from the argument at hand.

Nonetheless, Nye presents his hypothesis in a comprehensive fashion which serves the reader (and non-academics) to warm up to his thoughts and hopefully, to partake the author’s poignant advice. Overall, Nye believes that the U.S. should be mindful of emerging economic scions and to employ isolationist and unilateralist policies only as a last-chance measure. However, there are times when his point of view becomes almost simplistic, particularly when the author attempts to justify the Bush Administration’s unequivical denouncement of the Kyoto Protocol. All in all, Nye’s eloquence and pertinent framework would be well-placed to be the catalyst for many fiery political debates and discussions. show less

Este livro é uma excelente compilação de como o poder se transfere dos Estados para as cidades e as organizações com capacidade de projeção global.
Para isso, o recurso a infra estruturas e plataformas digitais e o envolvimento de recursos humanos com diversidade cultural e com elevada qualificação é uma necessidade absoluta.

confesso que muito do que é dito, está alinhado com o meu próprio pensamento e o lucro da leitura, vem precisamente do autor ser especialista em questões show more diversas das minhas, pelo que acrescenta uma visão que complementa a que possuo. Especialista em questões internacionais e de Estado, discute qual o papel das instituições e dos Estados na regulação das mudanças.

Um livro interessante, também para os interessados nas questões de cibersegurança e cheio de material útil para compreender melhor a complexidade e imprevisibilidade dos tempos que se aproximam. show less