In the Shadows of the American Century: the Rise and Decline of US Global Power
by Alfred McCoy (Oneworld, £18.99)
“Greatness” is the essence of the American brand. We are great because we are good and good because we are great: a land of liberty and opportunity, a nation favoured by God. That’s what we Americans tell ourselves, at least, though lately the story’s been sounding a trifle shopworn. The current occupant of the Oval Office got there by promising voters he’d make America “great again.” But after 18 months of posturing “greatness”, it’s hard to find areas in which the US really is a leader—other than mass shootings.