Play by the Rules

- Blurb -

In Play by the Rules, acclaimed writer and historian Michael Pembroke offers a fresh take on the USA' s vast influence and asks whether it is still a force for good. In the heady days after 1945, the authority of the United States was unrivalled. But seventy-five years later, its influence has already diminished. The world has now entered a post-American era - defined by the rise of Asia and the return of China, as much as by the decline of the United States. This book is a short history of that decline; how high standards and treasured principles were ignored; how idealism was replaced by hubris and moral compromise; and how adherence to the rule of law became selective. It is also a look into the future - a future dominated by greater Asia and China in particular. We are in the midst of the third great power shift in modern history - from Europe to America to Asia. Praise for Michael Pembroke and Korea: Where the American Century Began: ' Started to read and just could not stop - Maddening, painful. . . Perceptive and compelling - often heart-rending, sometimes downright terrifying - this richly informed study amply establishes its thesis that the ' permanent phenomenon' of American global militarism has its origin in the Korean conflict. ' - Noam Chomsky ' ' I read it in one go on a plane journey - fascinated, educated, appalled, amazed, and gripped. I take my hat off to the richness of the research . . . I came away from reading the book in equal parts full of admiration for the book itself, and appalled by the story it tells. ' - A. C. Grayling