America in the World

A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

By: Robert B. Zoellick

Narrated by: Brian Troxell

America has a long history of diplomacy - ranging from Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson to Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, and James Baker - now is your chance to see the impact these Americans have had on the world.

Recounting the actors and events of US foreign policy, Zoellick identifies five traditions that have emerged from America's encounters with the world: the importance of North America; the special roles trading, transnational, and technological relations play in defining ties with others; changing attitudes toward alliances and ways of ordering connections among states; the need for public support, especially through Congress; and the belief that American policy should serve a larger purpose. These traditions frame a closing review of post-Cold War presidencies, which Zoellick foresees serving as guideposts for the future.

Both a sweeping work of history and an insightful guide to US diplomacy past and present, America in the World serves as an informative companion and practical adviser to listeners seeking to understand the strategic and immediate challenges of US foreign policy during an era of transformation.

©2020 Robert B. Zoellick (P)2020 Twelve

Critic reviews

"America in the World is a highly accessible and engaging history of US diplomacy written by one of the country's smartest and most capable foreign policy practitioners. Robert Zoellick understands better than most how inseparable America's fate is from the rest of the world, and that timely lesson shines through the pages of this book." (Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright)

"Bob Zoellick has accomplished the near impossible - he has written a seminal work that is groundbreaking, historically insightful, and entertaining in a way that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike. America in the World provides a new framework for understanding the history of America's foreign policy, and is chock-full of fascinating vignettes that reveal our nation's pragmatism and innovative spirit." (Henry M. Paulson, Jr., former United States Secretary of the Treasury)

"This book is so sweeping and insightful that it will revive the art of diplomatic history. Robert Zoellick emphasizes America's pragmatic instincts, from Benjamin Franklin to George H.W. Bush, as well as the key role that technology and trade have played in furthering our influence. In addition to being a fascinating historic narrative, this book provides a great framework for understanding our role in the world today." (Walter Isaacson, number-one New York Times best-selling author of Leonardo da Vinci)

Interesting

Interesting overview of US diplomatic traditions. However there is an eerie omission of the tradition “hard realism” like that of putting stability over democracy and human rights. This has been very true of the Middle East region throughout US engagement with that region and of its policy with many third world countries during the Cold War.

Book sticks to the facts, very dry

This is a decent overview of the history of US foreign policy, The author held post(s) in foreign policy and occasionally comments on his experience with them but overall it is a very dry, much abbreviated history with a very dry narration lacking in tone and expression, I didn't hate it, I'm glad that I read it but I was also glad that I finished it.

Narration is so poorly done, I can’t recall the information

Narrator emphasizes random words and doesn’t seem to have any concept of the context or cadence of the sentences he’s reading. It was so entirely distracting that I kept realizing I had no idea what was going on in the book. The subject touches on my own area of research and I was looking forward to listening to it, but there is no way I’ll bother to finish it in this medium.