The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy And Its Geostrategic Imperatives by Zbigniew Brzezinski

Zbigniew Brzezinski was Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor from 1977 to 1981. He has had an illustrious career including as Professor of American Foreign Policy at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies.

"the issue of how a globally engaged America copes with the complex Eurasian power relationships—and particularly whether it prevents the emergence of a dominant and antagonistic Eurasian power—remains central to America's capacity to exercise global primacy."

Eurasia as Center of World Power

The author writes, "Eurasia has been the center of world power."

"Eurasia is thus the chessboard on which the struggle for global primacy continues to be played, and that struggle involves geostrategy—the strategic management of geopolitical interests."

Value of Ideology and Culture

Culture is one of the pillars on which a Nation remains a hegemon.

American culture is admired by all. This reduces desire in other Nations to get rid of American influence.

"In contrast, Russia was held in cultural contempt by most of its Central European vassals and even more so by its principal and increasingly assertive eastern ally, China."

Basis of American Hegemony

"America stands supreme in the four decisive domains of global power: militarily, it has an unmatched global reach; economically, it remains the main locomotive of global growth, even if challenged in some aspects by Japan and Germany (neither of which enjoys the other attributes of global might); technologically, it retains the overall lead in the cutting-edge areas of innovation; and culturally"

Value of American Hegemony

Other geopolitical players

Geostrategic players: France, Germany, Russia, China.

Geopolitical players: Ukraine, Azerbaijan, South Korea, Turkey, and Iran.

"partially qualifying as players": India.

Do not qualify as geopolitical players: Great Britain, Japan, and Indonesia.

The author talks of various countries geopolitical value. "In contrast, Great Britain is not a geostrategic player. It has fewer major options, it entertains no ambitious vision of Europe’s future, and its relative decline has also reduced its capacity to play the traditional role of the European balancer. Its ambivalence regarding European unification and its attachment to a waning special relationship with America have made Great Britain increasingly irrelevant insofar as the major choices confronting Europe’s future are concerned. London has largely dealt itself out of the European game."

"Poland is too weak to be a geostrategic player, and it has only one option: to become integrated into the West."

"Like Great Britain in the case of Europe, Japan prefers not to become engaged in the politics of the Asian mainland, though at least a partial reason for this is the continued hostility of many fellow Asians to any Japanese quest for a regionally preeminent political role."

"Despite its limited size and small population, Azerbaijan, with its vast energy resources, is also geopolitically critical. It is the cork in the bottle containing the riches of the Caspian Sea basin and Central Asia. The independence of the Central Asian states can be rendered nearly meaningless if Azerbaijan becomes fully subordinated to Moscow's control. Azerbaijan's own and very significant oil resources can also be subjected to Russian control, once Azerbaijan’s independence has been nullified. An independent Azerbaijan, linked to Western markets by pipelines that do not pass through Russian-controlled territory, also becomes a major avenue of access from the advanced and energy-consuming economies to the energy rich Central Asian republics. Almost as much as in the case of Ukraine, the future of Azerbaijan and Central Asia is also crucial in defining what Russia might or might not become."

"In contrast, India is in the process of establishing itself as a regional power and views itself as potentially a major global player as well. It also sees itself as a rival to China. That may be a matter of overestimating its own long-term capabilities, but India is unquestionably the most powerful South Asian state, a regional hegemon of sorts."

Rising Geopolitical risks in the world

"The resulting risks to global stability are likely to be further increased by the prospect of a more general degradation of the human condition."

The author explains that rising population, urbanization, global migration, restless and unemployed youth, modern communication channels, all make the world a place of rising geopolitical tension.
"In the long run, global politics are bound to become increasingly uncongenial to the concentration of hegemonic power in the hands of a single state. Hence, America is not only the first, as well as the only, truly global superpower, but it is also likely to be the very last. That is so not only because nation-states are gradually becoming increasingly permeable but also because knowledge as power is becoming more diffuse, more shared, and less constrained by national boundaries."

American Foreign Policy

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