Exercise of Power
American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World
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Narrated by:
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George Newbern
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By:
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Robert M. Gates
About this listen
From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed number one best-selling memoir, Duty, a candid, sweeping examination of power, and how it has been exercised, for good and bad, by American presidents in the post-Cold War world.
Since the end of the Cold War, the global perception of the United States has progressively morphed from dominant international leader to disorganized entity. Robert Gates argues that this transformation is the result of the failure of political leaders to understand the complexity of American power, its expansiveness and its limitations. He makes clear that the successful exercise of power is not limited to the ability to coerce or demand submission, but must also encompass diplomacy, strategic communications, development assistance, intelligence, technology, and ideology. With forthright judgments of the performance of past presidents and their senior-most advisers, insightful firsthand knowledge, and compelling insider stories, Gates’s candid, sweeping examination of power in all its manifestations argues that US national security in the future will require abiding by the lessons of the past, reimagining our approach, and revitalizing nonmilitary instruments of power essential to success and security.
©2020 Robert M. Gates (P)2020 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Russia and China are increasingly revisionist in their regions. The Middle East appears to be unraveling. And many Americans question why the United States ought to lead. What will great power competition look like in the decades ahead? What impact will geopolitics have on globalization? And what strategy should the United States pursue to succeed in an increasingly competitive world? In this book, Thomas Wright explains how major powers will compete fiercely even as they try to avoid war with each other.
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Globalist propaganda
- By Anthony Colosimo Jr on 07-10-21
By: Thomas J. Wright
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The Cold War
- A World History
- By: Odd Arne Westad
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 22 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Cold War, Odd Arne Westad offers a new perspective on a century when a superpower rivalry and an ideological war transformed every corner of our globe. We traditionally think of the Cold War as a post-World War II diplomatic and military conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. But in this major new work, Westad argues that the conflict must be understood as a global ideological confrontation with roots in the industrial revolution and with continuing implications for the world today.
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A lenghy treatise on the Cold War
- By Donald Hill on 11-21-17
By: Odd Arne Westad
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The Last President of Europe
- Emmanuel Macron's Race to Revive France and Save the World
- By: William Drozdiak
- Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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A revelatory examination of the global impact of Emmanuel Macron's tumultuous presidency. In The Last President of Europe, William Drozdiak tells with exclusive inside access the story of Macron's presidency and the political challenges the French leader continues to face.
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Interesting but poorly read
- By Anonymous User on 05-12-22
By: William Drozdiak
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The Avoidable War
- The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict between the US and Xi Jinping's China
- By: Kevin Rudd
- Narrated by: Kevin Rudd, Rafe Beckley
- Length: 16 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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The relationship between the US and China, the world’s two superpowers, is peculiarly volatile. Their militaries play a dangerous game of chicken, corporations steal intellectual property, intelligence satellites peer, and AI technicians plot. The capacity for either country to cross a fatal line grows daily. Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister who has studied, lived in, and worked with China for more than forty years, is one of the very few people who can offer real insight into the mindsets of the leadership whose judgment will determine if a war will be fought.
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Xi and the CCP Approve this Message
- By Andrizomai on 12-04-22
By: Kevin Rudd
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The Day After
- Why America Wins the War but Loses the Peace
- By: Brendan R. Gallagher
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Since 9/11, why have we won smashing battlefield victories only to botch nearly everything that comes next? In the opening phases of war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, we mopped the floor with our enemies. But in short order, things went horribly wrong. We soon discovered we had no coherent plan to manage the "day after". The ensuing debacles had truly staggering consequences - many thousands of lives lost, trillions of dollars squandered, and the apparent discrediting of our foreign policy establishment.
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Experience matters
- By J. Pulton on 03-07-21
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The Sorrows of Empire
- Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic
- By: Chalmers Johnson
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Recalling the classic warnings against militarism, from George Washington's farewell address to Dwight Eisenhower's denunciation of the military-industrial complex, Johnson explores the trend of militarism that is bankrupting the United States and creating conditions for a new century of virulent blowback.
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A must read.
- By Thomas on 02-07-15
By: Chalmers Johnson
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A Failed Empire
- The Soviet Union in the Cold War from Stalin to Gorbachev
- By: Vladimir Zubok
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 20 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Western interpretations of the Cold War--both realist and neoconservative--have erred by exaggerating either the Kremlin's pragmatism or its aggressiveness, argues Vladislav Zubok. Explaining the interests, aspirations, illusions, fears, and misperceptions of the Kremlin leaders and Soviet elites, Zubok offers a Soviet perspective on the greatest standoff of the 20th century.
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Focus on the Top Leadership
- By Augustus T. White on 08-13-10
By: Vladimir Zubok
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Diplomacy
- By: Henry Kissinger
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 37 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Moving from a sweeping overview of history to blow-by-blow accounts of his negotiations with world leaders, Henry Kissinger describes how the art of diplomacy has created the world in which we live, and how America's approach to foreign affairs has always differed vastly from that of other nations. Brilliant, controversial, and profoundly incisive, Diplomacy stands as the culmination of a lifetime of diplomatic service and scholarship. It is a must-listen for anyone concerned with the forces that have shaped our world today and will impact upon it tomorrow.
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Great foreign policy overview!
- By Mikhail on 02-02-20
By: Henry Kissinger
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The Button
- The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump
- By: William J. Perry, Tom Z. Collina
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Written in an accessible and authoritative voice, The Button reveals the shocking tales and sobering facts of nuclear executive authority throughout the atomic age, delivering a powerful condemnation against ever leaving explosive power this devastating under any one person's thumb.
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Garbage political tripe
- By Bryan Beaty on 03-15-21
By: William J. Perry, and others
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The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution: 1763-1789
- By: Robert Middlekauff
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The first book to appear in the illustrious Oxford History of the United States, this critically-acclaimed volume - a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize - offers an unsurpassed history of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the American republic.
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Strong History Rich With Behind The Scenes Details
- By John on 10-06-11
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The Marshall Plan
- Dawn of the Cold War
- By: Benn Steil
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 16 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The award-winning author of The Battle of Bretton Woods reveals the gripping history behind the Marshall Plan—told with verve, insight, and resonance for today.
In the wake of World War II, with Britain’s empire collapsing and Stalin's on the rise, US officials under new secretary of state George C. Marshall set out to reconstruct western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism. Their massive, costly, and ambitious undertaking would confront Europeans and Americans alike with a vision at odds with their history and self-conceptions. In the process, they would drive the creation of NATO, the European Union, and a Western identity that continues to shape world events.
Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Benn Steil’s thrilling account brings to life the seminal episodes marking the collapse of postwar US-Soviet relations—the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany. In each case, we see and understand like never before Stalin’s determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe.
Given current echoes of the Cold War, as Putin’s Russia rattles the world order, the tenuous balance of power and uncertain order of the late 1940s is as relevant as ever. The Marshall Plan provides critical context into understanding today’s international landscape. Bringing to bear fascinating new material from American, Russian, German, and other European archives, Steil’s account will forever change how we see the Marshall Plan and the birth of the Cold War. A polished and masterly work of historical narrative, this is an instant classic of Cold War literature.
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A Deeply Researched Narrative
- By Jean on 10-18-18
By: Benn Steil
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Great listen, interesting information
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Remember: This guy was fired! WTF.
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Excellent Narration of a classic tome
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It's a necessary read regardless of your politics
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From the Saddam’s Point of View.
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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.
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Dereliction of Duty
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The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
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Duped
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Conflict
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Two leading authorities—an acclaimed historian and the outstanding battlefield commander and strategist of our time—collaborate on a landmark examination of war since 1945. Conflict is both a sweeping history of the evolution of warfare up to Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine, and a penetrating analysis of what we must learn from the past—and anticipate in the future—in order to navigate an increasingly perilous world.
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The Story of My Life
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Steve Jobs
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Based on more than 40 interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
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Good Biography, Fine narrator
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By: Walter Isaacson
What listeners say about Exercise of Power
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Gary
- 09-20-22
All Encompassing
Anyone interested in foreign affairs will benefit from Bob Gates explanations & the many types of national power. Few realize the many types. Agricultural, Informational, Technical, financial, etc. And our over use of military power. Which in reality should always be the last used when Exercise of National power is needed. Highly Informative.
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- Bryan Escobedo
- 05-02-21
American Priorities
Every American should read this book in these divisive times. Sec. Gates explains why we have to set our political preferences aside to gain the world view of our shared priorities and interests. His breakdown of the variety of "Instruments of Power" are a must-know for all voters seeking to make educated decisions on our foreign policy. After reading this book, I stand more firmly as an Independent who will always try to vote in America's long term interest regardless of the party.
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- Mike A.
- 02-11-22
Inside look at US foreign policy the last 50 years
Mr. Gates walks us through his roughly 50 years of US policy. Both the good and bad and what could or should have been done different. This book has so much bearing for what we are seeing in the world today.
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- CMcA
- 02-22-24
Money and time well spent
Gates has the receipts, and his assessments and accounts demonstrate it. If your objective is to be a well-informed and thoughtful citizen this is one of the books you want on your shelf. This is a must have history, perspective, and analysis.
And the performance (not incidentally) is probably the best I’ve heard - makes it easy to keep listening.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-30-24
Wore many hats
Gates is arguably the smartest and most fascinating person in government over the last sixty years.
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- Ember Rose Baker
- 07-11-20
Thoughtful Evaluation by Someone in the Know
This is one of those must read books for anyone who gives a damn about America, its future, and our position in relation to the rest of the world. Gates presents a largely non-partisan view of choices made by the past several Presidents regarding the use or failure to use the many tools of influence, persuasion and power available to them. He lists many different kinds of power available, and gives examples of how they have or can be used to a nation's advantage. He expresses concern that in recent administrations, there has been a narrowing in the focus of our definition of power -- more reliance on military power and allowing other means of exercising power to atrophy. He notes how very different the problems we face today are vs. the problems we faced during the cold war. He suggests that our failure to adjust to the ways world has substantially changed have left us vulnerable. He describes how many of the key decisions and policies of Presidents since Reagan have brought us to our current reality. He describes what they did right and what they did wrong in their exercise of American power from a non-partisan perspective. Interesting, intelligent, thought-provoking book, well presented. An important work I wish all politicians, even all voters would read.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Patricia George
- 10-25-20
Outstanding book
This was a great overview of a plethora of topics that plaque our Nation and provided amazing insights and lessons learned from past actions.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mikky K
- 01-18-23
Gripping analysis by long-serving Robert Gates
Excellent analysis of American use, misuse, and failure to use of power since the end of the Cold War. Gates deep dives the sources of American power (15 different variables)and looks at how each post-Cold War used them. Gates further explores the use if power in each of the World's regions and contrasts American efforts with other leading regional actors. The book concludes with recommendations for future Presidents and Congress.
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- Jeffy
- 08-25-20
Worth it
I am a fan of Bob Gates and this book does not disappoint. Very good content and narration.
Exercise of Power lays out recent developments of U.S. foreign policy in hot spots throughout the world. The author offers his own personal insights, often opinionated, as to how various military and non-military tools are used (or should be used) to best promote American interests. Thankfully, the book is not a tell-all book that is either bogged down in personalities or laced with gossip. It is an important book because if was written by a highly competent person who was "there" when many important decisions were made concerning U.S. foreign since the Carter presidency.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book. I only give it 4 stars because I am a tough grader. Still, if one is choosing a book, go for this one. It is worth it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Shaw
- 07-07-21
Great read!
A book written for every level of us. Every one who lent a hand in saving our Democracy is a patriot. Mr. Gates, thank you!
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