In the heady days after 1945, the authority of the United States was unrivalled and, with the founding of the UN, a new era of international co-operation seemed to have begun. But seventy-five years later, its influence has already diminished. This book is a short history of that decline; how high standards and treasured principles were ignored; how idealism was replaced by hubris and moral compromise; and how adherence to the rule of law became selective. It is also a look into the future - a future dominated by greater Asia and China in particular. We are in the midst of the third great power shift in modern history - from Europe to America to Asia.

"First published by Hardie Grand Books, 2020"--Title page verso

Part 1Origins. Chapter 1. Exceptionalism Myth & Reality -- True Leadership -- The Idea -- Roosevelt's Dream -- The UN Charter -- Unrivalled Authority -- Chapter 2. Ideology Cold War. Harry Truman -- Fear of Communism -- Breakdown in Poland -- Japan & Korea -- Doctrine & Distrust -- Chapter 3. Compromise Coups & Interventions. The CIA -- Iran 1953 -- Guatemala 1954 -- Vietnam 1963 -- Chile 1973 -- Iraq 2003 -- Chapter 4. Criticism Warnings from Within. Voices of Dissent -- Eisenhower -- Shoup -- Bacevich -- Fulbright -- Kennan -- Chapter 5. Militarism Dominance & Overmatch. War Culture -- Global Projection -- Foreign Bases -- Exorbitance -- The Pentagon -- Hidden Costs -- Chapter 6. Unilateralism America First. -- Treaties & Conventions -- International Scrutiny -- Trade, Tariffs & WTO -- Economic Sanctions -- Summits, Arms & Climate -- Chapter 7. Asia First a Changing World. -- Waging War -- Asian Wave -- Decline & Fall -- China Inc. -- Belt & Road Initiative -- Chapter 8. Shifting Alliances Looking East. -- China & Russia -- The Middle East -- South Asia -- Southeast Asia -- Africa -- Latin America -- Europe.