9. How can we measure if the U.S. is in decline? To compare American influence today with a mythical past of overwhelming dominance can only mislead us. While the U.S. government can exercise more influence on the behavior of more actors with respect to more issues than any other government can, it does not mean it can determine all other nations’ behavior on all issues or even on most issues.

10. The measure of the order’s success is not whether the U.S. can tell everyone what to do. It is whether the order itself—expansion of democracy, prosperity, and security is sustained. The greater freedom and independence of Brazil in foreign policy, although they disagree with us, can be a sign of the order’s success. The greater freedom of Iran to build a nuke can be a harbinger of its failure.

11. This point was made toward of the end of the book, but in my opinion it was the motivation for the author writing the book. If Americans had a clearer picture of what might come after the American world order, they would be more inclined to continue struggling to preserve the order they made, or at least ensure changes to the system to not undermine the order from which they, and others, have so greatly benefited. (He writes earlier in the book, fighting to sustain the current order as is will be an act of futility, but we need to lead and shape the emerging order).

What happens when autocracies shape the international order? We see China sustaining dictatorships in Burma and North Korea, and Russia’s obstruction of democratic pressures on regimes in Belarus, Armenia, and Central Asia. Since this is true today, in a world dominated by democracies, imagine a world in which the autocratic powers were stronger than the democratic powers. It might be enough to reverse liberal democratic order again.

He adds, one key element of the liberal economic order over the past two centuries has been control over the seas. What if the U.S. ceased to carry this burden? China is using its growing naval power not top open, but to close international waters offers a glimpse into the future where the U.S. Navy is no longer dominant.

12. What has made America most attractive to much of the world has not been its culture, its wisdom, or even its ideals alone. At times these have played a part; at times they were irrelevant. More consistent has been the attraction of America’s power, the manner in which it uses it, and the ends for which it has been used. What is true since the time of Rome remains true today; there can be no world order without power to preserve it, to shape its norms, uphold its institutions, defend the sinews of its economic system, and keep the peace.

13. He closes with thoughts on change and continuity. In the international realm, the distribution of power among nations, and between nations and non-state actors, is constantly in flux. It is both foolish and futile to try to hold to the past and to believe that the old ways are always going to be sufficient to meet new circumstances. However, we cannot be so entranced by change, that we fail to recognize some fundamental and enduring truths about power, about human nature, and about the way beliefs and power interact to shape a world order.

Continued