Abstract
In trying to assess the future strengths and weaknesses of the United States one should keep in mind the warnings given by Daniel Bell in the conclusion of his essay on ‘The World in 2013’:
A disciplined effort to identify structural changes — in the face of the overwhelming weight of political and cultural imponderables — leads one to a sense of the futility of such rational efforts. It is like holding a small candle in a hurricane to see if there are any paths ahead and how to go forth. But if one cannot light and hold even a small candle, then there is only darkness before us.1
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Notes
Daniel Bell, ‘The World in 2013’, Daedalus, Summer 1987, vol. 116, no. 3.
Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (New York: Random House, 1987).
Joseph Nye Jr., ‘Understating US Strength’, Foreign Policy, Fall 1988.
Fernand Braudel, The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (2 vols) (London: Collins, 1973).
Octavio Paz, Une planète et quatre ou cinq mondes. Réflexions sur l’Histoire contemporaine (Paris: Gallimard, 1985).
David Calleo, Beyond American Hegemony (New York: Basic Books, 1987).
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© 1989 International Institute for Strategic Studies
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Moisï, D. (1989). The United States: Strengths and Weaknesses. In: Heisbourg, F. (eds) The Changing Strategic Landscape. Adelphi Papers. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11129-9_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11129-9_6
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