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Zbigniew Brzezinski
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The Grand Chessboard Paperback – Illustrated, December 6, 2016

by Zbigniew Brzezinski (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 554 ratings
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Bestselling author and eminent foreign policy scholar Zbigniew Brzezinski's classic book on American's strategic mission in the modern world.




In The Grand Chessboard, renowned geostrategist Zbigniew Brzezinski delivers a brutally honest and provocative vision for American preeminence in the twenty-first century. The task facing the United States, he argues, is to become the sole political arbiter in Eurasian lands and to prevent the emergence of any rival power threatening our material and diplomatic interests. The Eurasian landmass, home to the greatest part of the globe's population, natural resources, and economic activity, is the "grand chessboard" on which America's supremacy will be ratified and challenged in the years to come. In this landmark work of public policy and political science, Brzezinski outlines a groundbreaking and powerful blueprint for America's vital interests in the modern world.




In this revised edition, Brzezinski addresses recent global developments including the war in Ukraine, the re-emergence of Russia, and the rise of China.
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  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    December 6, 2016
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.64 x 8.25 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    046509435X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-0465094356
  7. Lexile measure
    1550L
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

The Grand Chessboard

The Grand Chessboard

The Grand Chessboard

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A tour d'horizon lucidly rendered."―Foreign Affairs

"As sobering as it is timely."―American Spectator

"This updated version of East-West geopolitics is worth taking seriously but it is also an amazing example of how a perspective can be revised without actually being rethought."―Kirkus Reviews

"The Grand Chessboard is the book we have been waiting for: a clear-eyed, tough-minded, definitive exposition of America's strategic interests in the post-Cold War world."―Samuel Huntington, Harvard University, author of The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

About the Author

Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-2017) was National Security Adviser to President Jimmy Carter, a counselor and trustee at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a professor of American foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of New York Times bestsellers Second Chance and Strategic Vision, among many other books.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; 2nd edition (December 6, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 046509435X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0465094356
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1550L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.64 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 554 ratings

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Zbigniew Brzezinski

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4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
554 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful eye-opener into past and present geostrategic contexts
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2023
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An eye-opening and startling read given the geostrategic realities of 2023. The author has a marvellous richly fluid written style and undeniable mastery of his content.
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Z.B
5.0 out of 5 stars Geopolitical tensions & timelines of historical world order.
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2023
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Informational read about possible global incursions and timelines depicting of past world order including the Roman Empire, the Eurasian Empire, & and now the most current and possibly very last global westernized world order ran by the United States. Learn about Russian, Chinese, & American history. Purely Brilliant!
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JM
5.0 out of 5 stars Particularly prescient from a modern perspective
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2023
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I’ve read this slowly over the past year and was truly amazed to see how much of the future the author envisioned had actually come to pass. My take is that Russia - under Putin - decided to take the “spoiler” route, while the U.S. simultaneously made choices to antagonize Russia, perhaps unnecessarily. A very good book and worth the read.
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Edward Brynes
4.0 out of 5 stars OBAMA'S FOREIGN POLICY, PARTLY EXPLAINED
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2016
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Here is the second edition of a well-known text on how the United States should interact in diplomacy with the nations of the Eurasian continent. The 1997 edition is reprinted unchanged, with a four-page epilogue chastising the US for engaging in unilateral wars, for "failure to prevent the emergence of a significant power rival" and for not "preventing global anarchy". "A framework of cooperation and pressure is needed in order to promote long-term collaboration between all three sides: China, the problem of the future; Russia, the disrupter of the present; and the United States, the aging superpower caught in the vice of history." I would add that the dominant power must be willing and able to act alone at times.

In the first edition, the author described the US as the hegemonic (dominant) nation and added, "America's global primacy is directly dependent on how long and how effectively its preponderance on the Eurasian continent is sustained." The author never mentions the military power underlying the primacy, but the factors which sustain power such as economic strength and prestige. From this vantage point, US hegemony has decreased since 1997, but we cannot be sure how much. Some of the decrease resulted from budget sequesters, some from lowered American morale (and lowered foreign esteem) due to the problematical war in Iraq and the financial crisis of 2007. (The author's 'Strategic Vision' spells this out in detail). Clearly power in this overall sense is difficult to evaluate. But the US remains dominant and this is as it should be. "A world without U.S. primacy will be a world with more violence and disorder and less democracy and economic growth than a world where the United States continues to have more influence than any other country in shaping global affairs." In a burst of plain speaking the author says the imperatives are "to prevent collusion and maintain security dependence among the vassals, to keep tributaries pliant and protected, and to keep the barbarians from coming together." (p.40)

The first task in understanding the strategic game is to identify the resources and dispositions of the players. The game is played on an oblong chessboard called Eurasia with the US on one side and China on the other. The author identifies five countries that are "major and active players" (France, Germany, Russia, China, and India) and other countries (Great Britain, Japan, and Indonesia) of lesser importance, which although important, do not qualify as major players. The distinction is in their political and diplomatic dynamism. The two major players on the Western side are France and Germany. Both are motivated by a vision of a united Europe, though they differ on how much and in what fashion such a Europe should remain linked to America. Five additional countries are "pivots": Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine. Their importance is in being adjacent to two or more important areas such as the Caspian Sea or another country's mineral deposits, frequently near to adjacent countries that are major players. Turkey is one example, adjacent to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. South Korea, between China and Japan, is a Far Eastern pivot.

The author is concerned that the US-European alliance should be a true unity. So Washington must treat Europe (NATO and the European Union) as equal to it in all respects, even in view of the larger financial contributions of the US to NATO. To make Europe more united and more independent, America must "throw its weight behind those European forces that are genuinely committed to Europe's political and economic integration. [I don't know why Europe should need American help with this.] Such a strategy will also mean junking the last vestiges of the once-hallowed U.S.-U.K. special relationship." (p. 50) The demarcation between the European part of Eurasia and the Asian part is related to a system of human rights issues and an all-embracing domestic social and economic benefits. (This is explicitly stated in his book 'Strategic Vision".) The presence or lack of the system is part of "the international democratic and cooperative order." that is to be projected by an enlarging Europe into Eurasia. He considers Ukraine and the Baltic States to be European, while Turkey is on the way to becoming European (perhaps because it is a NATO member) and Russia is not so far along. Russia is considered rather savage and needs taming by Europe. I do not know the exact basis for his evaluations, but I cannot agree with him that Russia, a country that has produced Nobel prizewinning scientists and writers, should be rated below Turkey. My reason is that within common sense a country should be allowed to have its own values.

China and Japan are simpler to deal with than Europe because the situation is simpler and there are fewer alternatives. The author feels that America should be a natural ally of China because it has no designs on the Asian mainland and has historically opposed both Japanese and Russian encroachments on China. All the same, many Chinese see the US as constraining their country's influence merely by being so large and so powerful. Even if China grows at its rate of ten percent for 25 years it will still be be a very poor country. (Fact check: as of 2013, China's GDP per capita was $6807, higher than other Southeastern Asian countries while much lower than Japan's $38633.) There are contentious issues between China and other Asian countries but to me they appear small. Concerning the Taiwan issue, he suggests "one China, several systems", a natural addition to Hong Kong. But China is making this natural step difficult.

In the Epilogue, the author comments "The majority of Americans are largely skeptical of US involvement in world affairs." Being one of them, I understand their skepticism; the demands on the US seem excessive and contradictory.
58 people found this helpful
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Arthur Grigorian
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2023
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Very interesting. Easy to read book.
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ZZ TOP
5.0 out of 5 stars Read all his books but this one is perhaps his best. One of the bet to understand America power
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2017
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A must read. Zbigniew Brzezinski gets blamed for every problem in the the world. He mentioned a pear harbor event will have to take place to untie the USA for war. Thue, conspiracy people think he was in on 911. Perhaps he was just telling the truth. Brzezinski is an imperialist but a nationalist one. He was for United States power. He warned Obama not to go into Iran. He stood with Carter for the Palestinians. Read all his books but this one is perhaps his best. One of the bet to understand America power. Again recall this man is a scapegoat for all sorts of things. Don't listen read his stuff. This book is also a good insite to so called "soft Power as well. He was a prime mover on the Afgan war. It was not a good thing but they deafeted the "Soviets" not Nationalist Russia. Excellent book. Zbig was for US power not globalist power big difference..
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Matthew K.
5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply informative
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2022
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Very helpful book to understand the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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Robert B
5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2022
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Great to read on America's strategy on Russia and China. Remains very relevant in 2022. Brzezinski shows how the strategists in America think.
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José Macaya
5.0 out of 5 stars Libro importante para complementar nuestra visión eurocéntrica
Reviewed in Spain on November 12, 2023
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Gran análisis hecho en 1998, en el que advierte de los problemas que se ocasionarían si EEUU no actuaba adecuadamente (como ha sucedido). Predice la crisis de Ucrania. Muy bien escrito y explica los conceptos de la geopolítica con claridad. El análisis de Rusia y lo que llama los Balcanes de Asia central (lo que hay entre Rusia, Turquía, irán e India) es buenísimo.

Libro importante para complementar nuestra visión eurocéntrica y entender mejor las preocupaciones de Rusia. Importante tener en cuenta que esto es anterior a Putin y describe los desafíos que tenía Rusia por delante.

Los mapas y cuadros son imposibles de leer en la versión Kindle.
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SeanH
5.0 out of 5 stars Brzezinski - the Master in his Class
Reviewed in Germany on October 24, 2023
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Although written in 1997 one of the best and most relevant books on geopolitics and foreign relations I ever read. Z. Brzezinski, both as intellectual and as practitioner, and H. Kissinger are the two most important and influential global foreign policy thinkers of the 20th century. Thoroughly enjoyed the author's unrivaled insights into Europe, Asia-Pacific, and everything in between on this giant landmass called "Eurasia". This work helped me to make sense of some of the madness happening these days anywhere between continental Europe and the South China Sea.
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Alexandra
5.0 out of 5 stars As Timeless as it is Masterly
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2021
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While the world has rapidly changed in the years since its original publication, most of the global issues presented in Brzezinski’s masterly work are still faced in the present.

Eurasia is undeniably the center of global power. If the United States wishes to maintain its mantle as a global superpower, it must preserve its dominance of the continent.

Brzezinski exhibits the dangers to US primacy as France, Germany, Russia and China.

Should Europe unite, a goal that France and Germany continue to strive for, America would lose its center of authority on the continent. At present, Europe relies on American hegemony and leadership in its global policies. As 27 (previously 28) relatively small independent nations, the EU cannot negotiate on a global scale with the same authority as the US (or increasingly China). However as one nation and one voice, Europe would be able to dominate the global stage alongside the US, causing dual hegemony (perhaps even surpassing it with France’s global outlook). America must decide whether it is in its interest to support a strong Europe as an ally or prevent its unification, maintaining global mastery.

Russia’s modern history has left many scars on its national identity; from defeat in the Russo-Japanese war to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Perhaps most impotently the loss of Ukraine. This has left Russia with the gnawing question “what is Russia?” An empire? Not without Ukraine. An Ideology? Not without the Soviets. A Superpower? Not without either of the previous two. But the far more appropriate question for the US is ‘what should Russia be?’ America and the West must decide if they will embrace Russia, or leaver her in the cold. The answer will determine the future of American primacy, for better or worse.

In 1997 China was still emerging as a global power. Reading this work in 2021, it is hard to ignore Brzezinski’s prediction that ‘even by the year 2020, it is unlikely even under the best circumstances that China could become truly competitive in the key dimensions of a global power.’ It is true, that China is not yet a global power (it certainly has the muscle to be, but not yet the influence). However, one cannot shut one’s eyes to the rapidity with which China has risen to rival the US. China, not Russia, is the true threat to American primacy.

Brzezinski predicts in his conclusion that America will not remain the sole superpower forever. No one could have predicted in 1997 that the US would elect President Trump. Nor could they predict he would be replaced by Joe Biden. These historic elections do not bode well for the Pax Americana. With China on the rise, Russia in limbo and Europe stagnant, we wait with bated breath to see what is yet to come.
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Cliente Kindle
2.0 out of 5 stars Not really "brutally honest"
Reviewed in Italy on July 27, 2020
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The book lacks specific contents. It didn't give a realistic overview into the objectives of the United States in Eurasia and almost completely ignored any possible scenario in the Middle East.
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Buddy
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 30, 2017
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Was in great condition. I thought it was brand new.
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