While the authors are quite critical of Trump’s foreign policy, they don’t pin the decline of the old order solely on him. They argue that hegemonic unraveling takes place when the hegemon loses its monopoly over patronage and “more states can compete when it comes to providing economic, security, diplomatic, and other goods.” The U.S. has been losing ground for the better part of the last 20 years, much of it unavoidable as other states grew wealthier and sought to wield greater influence. The authors make a persuasive case that the “exit” from hegemony is already taking place and has been for some time.
Daniel Larison, The American Conservative.
Cooley and Nexon’s book deserves the widest possible readership because it gives convincing answers and provokes the right questions at the right time. No matter who wins the upcoming election, the global hegemony of the United States is almost certainly ending, but the work to explain and understand that end will continue for years to come.
Srdjan Vucetic, Literary Review of Canada.
A question at the heart of all of these books, and answered differently by each, is, as Ikenberry puts it, whether the US, instead of turning inward, can once again summon the wherewithal to help “solve common problems that face all states.” The answer is uncertain. What is clear, though, is that an international transition of some ill-defined sort is well underway. As Nexon and Cooley ask, will the US, at the very least one of “a small handful of first-tier great powers,” continue to cling to “a mystical American exceptionalism” or instead devise a “pragmatic, responsible, and publicly articulated strategy” for dealing with the profound changes that are already afoot?
Howard W. French, The New York Review of Books.
In this important book, Cooley and Nexon provide one of the best guides to understanding how global orders rise and fall.
G. John Ikenberry, Exit from Hegemony.