"Has the combination of protracted war, explosive indebtedness and mounting income inequality dealt a decisive blow to US global influence and stature? Has the 'rise of the rest' completely upended the distribution of global power? The flood of recent commentary bemoaning the end of American primacy would lead one to think so. Stuart Brown rejects this conventional wisdom, and argues that the US still maintains the composite economic, cultural, political and military underpinnings befitting a predominant global power. The causes and implications of US trade imbalances are too often misdiagnosed while the geopolitical challenge from China is grossly exaggerated. The US continues to lead in global affairs, disproportionately contributing to global peace and stability. In dispelling the major assumptions underlying the case for American decline, Brown paints an alternative picture of an enduring power of unparalleled capability and global impact."--Publisher's website.