Now in paperback, Joseph Nye's "indispensable" guide to reshaping America's role in the world (Publishers Weekly) Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power" to describe a nation's ability to attract and persuade. Whereas hard power-the ability to coerce-grows out of a country's military or economic might, soft power arises from the attractiveness of its culture, political ideals, and policies. Hard power remains crucial in a world of states trying to guard their independence and of non-state groups willing to turn to violence. But as a new administration-whether Republican or Democrat-maps out its foreign policy, Nye emphasizes the importance of husbanding our military power and nurturing our soft power. It is soft power that will help prevent terrorists from recruiting supporters from among the moderate majority. And it is soft power that will help the United States deal with critical global issues that require multilateral cooperation. America needs to move in a new direction. Isn't it time that we listene
A brilliant reconsideration of the Gilded Age in America, whenan oligarchy of wealth triumphed over democracy, when dreams offreedom and equality died of their impossibility. Jay Gould, the“Mephisto of Wall Street,” never runs for office, but he rules.This was his time (and John D. Rockefeller’s and AndrewCarnegie’s), and this was his country. At the end of the Civil War, with the rebellion put down andslavery ended, America belonged to Lincoln’s “plain people.” But“government of the people” and economic democracy were betrayed bypolitical parties that fanned memories of the war to distractAmericans from government of the corporation. Synthesizing the research of a new generation of scholars, JackBeatty gives us a fresh look at the “revolution from above” ofindustrialization that forged modern America. In Age of Betrayal,Supreme Court justices turn the Fourteenth Amendment’s promise of“equal protection of the laws” to the freed slave into the shieldof the corpora
Why trying to be the best … competing like crazy … makes youmediocre Every few years a book—through a combination of the author’sunique voice, storytelling ability, wit, and insight—simply breaksthe mold. Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods is one example. RichardFeynman’s “Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman!” is another. Now comes Youngme Moon’s Different, a book for “people who don’tread business books.” Actually, it’s more like a personalconversation with a friend who has thought deeply about how theworld works … and who gets you to see that world in a completelynew light. If there is one strain of conventional wisdom pervading everycompany in every industry, it’s the absolute importance of“competing like crazy.” Youngme Moon’s message is simply “Get offthis treadmill that’s taking you nowhere. Going tit for tat andadding features, augmentations, and gimmicks to beat thecompetition has the perverse result of making you lik
The book is... timely, and if it will irritate some of theexperts it will also help bring some neglected issues and theoriesinto public focus. This ... has always been Mrs. Jacobs' mostnotable taient and her most constructive contribution.
From the bestselling, prize-winning author of THE LAST TYCOONSand HOUSE OF CARDS, a revelatory history of Goldman Sachs, the mostdominant, feared, and controversial investment bank in theworld For much of its storied 142-year history, Goldman Sachs hasprojected an image of being better than its competitors--smarter,more collegial, more ethical, and far more profitable. Thefirm--buttressed by the most aggressive and sophisticated p.r.machine in the financial industry--often boasts of "The GoldmanWay," a business model predicated on hiring the most talentedpeople, indoctrinating them in a corporate culture where partnersstifle their egos for the greater good, and honoring the "14Principles," the first of which is "Our clients' interests alwayscome first." But there is another way of viewing Goldman--a secretivemoney-making machine that has straddled the line betweenconflict-of-interest and legitimate deal-making for decades; a firmthat has exerted undue influence over government since the ear
Translated into more than twenty languages and named one ofthe best business books of the year by reviewers around the world, Wikinomics has become essential reading for business peopleeverywhere. It explains how mass collaboration is happening notjust at Web sites like Wikipedia and YouTube, but at traditionalcompanies that have embraced technology to breathe new life intotheir enterprises. This national bestseller reveals the nuances that drivewikinomics, and share fascinating stories of how masses of people(both paid and volunteer) are now creating TV news stories,sequencing the human gnome, remixing their favorite music,designing software, finding cures for diseases, editing schooltexts, inventing new cosmetics, and even buildingmotorcycles.
In this short, powerful book, multimillionaire and bestsellingauthor Steven K. Scott reveals King Solomon’s breakthroughstrategies to achieve a life of financial success and personalfulfillment. Steve Scott flunked out of every job he held in his first six yearsafter college. He couldn’t succeed no matter how hard he tried.Then Dr. Gary Smalley challenged him to study the book of Proverbs,promising that in doing so he would achieve greater success andhappiness than he had ever known. That promise came true, makingScott a millionaire many times over. In The Richest Man Who Ever Lived, Scott reveals Solomon’s key forwinning every race, explains how to resolve conflicts and turnenemies into allies, and discloses the five qualities essential tobecoming a valued and admired person at work and in your personallife. Scott illustrates each of Solomon’s insights and strategieswith anecdotes about his personal successes and failures, as wellas those of such extraordinary people as Benjamin Franklin, ThomasEdis
Galbraith's classic on the "economics of abundance" is, in thewords of the New York Times, "a compelling challenge toconventional thought." With customary clarity, eloquence, andhumor, Galbraith cuts to the heart of what economic security means(and doesn't mean) in today's world and lays bare the hazards ofindividual and societal complacence about economic inequity. While"affluent society" and "conventional wisdom" (first used in thisbook) have entered the vernacular, the message of the book has notbeen so widely embraced--reason enough to rediscover The AffluentSociety.