The Empty Throne

America's Abdication of Global Leadership

By: Ivo H. Daalder, James M. Lindsay

Narrated by: Jamie Renell

American diplomacy is in shambles, but beneath the daily chaos is an erosion of the postwar order that is even more dangerous.

America emerged from the catastrophe of World War II convinced that global engagement and leadership were essential to prevent another global conflict and further economic devastation. That choice was not inevitable, but its success proved monumental. It brought decades of great power peace, underpinned the rise in global prosperity, and defined what it meant to be an American in the eyes of the rest of the world for generations. It was a historic achievement.

Now, America has abdicated this vital leadership role. The Empty Throne is an inside portrait of the greatest lurch in US foreign policy since the decision to retreat back into Fortress America after World War I. The whipsawing of US policy has upended all that America's postwar leadership created - strong security alliances, free and open markets, an unquestioned commitment to democracy and human rights. Impulsive, theatrical, ill-informed, backward-looking, bullying, and reckless are the qualities the American president brings to the table, when he shows up at all. The world has had to absorb the spectacle of an America unmaking the world it made, and the consequences will be with us for years to come.

©2018 Ivo H. Daalder and James M. Lindsay (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Need for a US seated world Throne? Assumed.......

I'm typically a big fan of Lindsay because of his appearance as a bare bones, guileless (unless he's speaking about religion), just the facts - presenter. That is not what this is. There is an underlying theme that assumes without discussion, the ethics as to whether or not there should even be a world throne, and then that the US has to be on it. Additionally, the writers squarely and without apology create and perpetuate their own anti-Trump sentiment throughout. They do treat all of the other Presidents with the fairness that each deserves, but someone's opinion of 45 is absolute aggression bottled in what would otherwise be a very no-nonsense history book about the state of the world in 2021.

Good read, but it will fall on deaf ears because the case for needing a 'Throne' that is held by the US is never made, and millions who would easily be led to that sentiment won't like the anti-45 underpinnings.

Maybe this wasn't written for center/right leaning individuals at all. Maybe this is an attempt to pull some of those who are veering hard left back toward the center. Either way, it could have tried to make a case for why the throne should or should not be important now or ever which it never does.

A good summary of the first years of the trump presidency

If you are looking for a summary of what has happened during the first few years of the trump presidency this is a good book. Since I have been watching the news and seeing his tweeter posts I was already aware of most of the things the author mentioned. To the authors credit I will mention there were some references to historical outcomes of similar protectionary measures that I had not heard about. As an economic junkie I enjoyed them, however, i will mention they were few.