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The Great Experiment: The Story of Ancient Empires, Modern States, and the Quest for a Global Nation
This dramatic narrative of breathtaking scope and riveting focus puts the "story" back into history. It is the saga of how the most ambitious of big ideas -- that a world made up of many nations can govern itself peacefully -- has played out over the millennia. Humankind's "Great Experiment" goes back to the most ancient of days -- literally to the Garden of Eden -- and into the present, with an eye to the future.Strobe Talbott looks back to the consolidation of tribes into nations -- starting with Israel -- and the absorption of those nations into the empires of Hammurabi, the Pharaohs, Alexander, the Caesars, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan, the Ottomans, and the Hapsburgs, through incessant wars of territory and religion, to modern alliances and the global conflagrations of the twentieth century.
He traces the breakthroughs and breakdowns of peace along the way: the Pax Romana, the Treaty of Westphalia, the Concert of Europe, the false start of the League of Nations, the creation of the flawed but indispensable United Nations, the effort to build a "new world order" after the cold war, and America's unique role in modern history as "the master builder" of the international system.
Offering an insider's view of how the world is governed today, Talbott interweaves through this epic tale personal insights and experiences and takes us with him behind the scenes and into the presence of world leaders as they square off or cut deals with each other. As an acclaimed journalist, he covered the standoff between the superpowers for more than two decades; as a high-level diplomat, he was in the thick of tumultuous events in the 1990s, when the bipolar equilibrium gave way to chaos in the Balkans, the emergence of a new breed of international terrorist, and America's assertiveness during its "unipolar moment" -- which he sees as the latest, but not the last, stage in the Great Experiment.
Talbott concludes with a trenchant critique of the worldview and policies of George W. Bush, whose presidency he calls a "consequential aberration" in the history of American foreign policy. Then, looking beyond the morass in Iraq and the battle for the White House, he argues that the United States can regain the trust of the world by leading the effort to avert the perils of climate change and nuclear catastrophe.
He traces the breakthroughs and breakdowns of peace along the way: the Pax Romana, the Treaty of Westphalia, the Concert of Europe, the false start of the League of Nations, the creation of the flawed but indispensable United Nations, the effort to build a "new world order" after the cold war, and America's unique role in modern history as "the master builder" of the international system.
Offering an insider's view of how the world is governed today, Talbott interweaves through this epic tale personal insights and experiences and takes us with him behind the scenes and into the presence of world leaders as they square off or cut deals with each other. As an acclaimed journalist, he covered the standoff between the superpowers for more than two decades; as a high-level diplomat, he was in the thick of tumultuous events in the 1990s, when the bipolar equilibrium gave way to chaos in the Balkans, the emergence of a new breed of international terrorist, and America's assertiveness during its "unipolar moment" -- which he sees as the latest, but not the last, stage in the Great Experiment.
Talbott concludes with a trenchant critique of the worldview and policies of George W. Bush, whose presidency he calls a "consequential aberration" in the history of American foreign policy. Then, looking beyond the morass in Iraq and the battle for the White House, he argues that the United States can regain the trust of the world by leading the effort to avert the perils of climate change and nuclear catastrophe.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 18, 2025
In The Great Experiment, Strobe Talbott, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and founding president of the Brookings Institution, presents a historical and philosophical exploration of the evolution of governance and international cooperation. The book traces the trajectory of human societies from ancient empires to modern nation-states, ultimately advocating for a form of global governance to address the world’s most pressing challenges. Talbott’s central argument is that humanity’s long struggle for unity and order has been marked by cycles of integration and fragmentation, and he contends that the future of global peace and stability depends on the success of international institutions and transnational cooperation.
Talbott organizes the book into three broad sections. The first explores the historical roots of governance, drawing on examples from the ancient world, including the Roman and Chinese empires, to highlight how early civilizations sought to manage diversity and maintain stability. He then transitions into an analysis of the emergence of the modern nation-state system, particularly after the Treaty of Westphalia (1648), which institutionalized the principle of state sovereignty. The final section examines contemporary global challenges—such as climate change, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation—arguing that these crises necessitate supranational solutions.
One of the book’s strengths is its interdisciplinary approach, blending history, political theory, and diplomacy to offer a comprehensive perspective on governance. Talbott’s diplomatic background enriches his analysis, particularly when discussing the post-Cold War era and the role of institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union. His discussion of the United States’ ambivalent relationship with global governance is particularly compelling, as he critiques isolationist tendencies while acknowledging the difficulties of ceding national sovereignty to international bodies.
However, the book is not without its limitations. Talbott’s advocacy for global governance occasionally underestimates the persistent appeal of nationalism and the practical challenges of implementing supranational institutions. While he acknowledges these obstacles, his optimism about the feasibility of a “global nation” may seem overly idealistic to skeptics of internationalism. Additionally, some of his historical narratives, while engaging, can feel selective, favoring examples that support his thesis while downplaying counterexamples where integration failed or led to instability.
Overall, The Great Experiment is a thought-provoking examination of the historical forces shaping governance and global cooperation. While Talbott’s vision of a more unified world order is compelling, it raises important questions about sovereignty, identity, and political will that remain unresolved. For scholars and policymakers interested in international relations, diplomacy, and global governance, the book offers valuable insights, even if some of its conclusions warrant further scrutiny.
GPT
Talbott organizes the book into three broad sections. The first explores the historical roots of governance, drawing on examples from the ancient world, including the Roman and Chinese empires, to highlight how early civilizations sought to manage diversity and maintain stability. He then transitions into an analysis of the emergence of the modern nation-state system, particularly after the Treaty of Westphalia (1648), which institutionalized the principle of state sovereignty. The final section examines contemporary global challenges—such as climate change, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation—arguing that these crises necessitate supranational solutions.
One of the book’s strengths is its interdisciplinary approach, blending history, political theory, and diplomacy to offer a comprehensive perspective on governance. Talbott’s diplomatic background enriches his analysis, particularly when discussing the post-Cold War era and the role of institutions such as the United Nations and the European Union. His discussion of the United States’ ambivalent relationship with global governance is particularly compelling, as he critiques isolationist tendencies while acknowledging the difficulties of ceding national sovereignty to international bodies.
However, the book is not without its limitations. Talbott’s advocacy for global governance occasionally underestimates the persistent appeal of nationalism and the practical challenges of implementing supranational institutions. While he acknowledges these obstacles, his optimism about the feasibility of a “global nation” may seem overly idealistic to skeptics of internationalism. Additionally, some of his historical narratives, while engaging, can feel selective, favoring examples that support his thesis while downplaying counterexamples where integration failed or led to instability.
Overall, The Great Experiment is a thought-provoking examination of the historical forces shaping governance and global cooperation. While Talbott’s vision of a more unified world order is compelling, it raises important questions about sovereignty, identity, and political will that remain unresolved. For scholars and policymakers interested in international relations, diplomacy, and global governance, the book offers valuable insights, even if some of its conclusions warrant further scrutiny.
GPT
February 18, 2008
This has to be Talbot's magnum opus.
June 21, 2022
This is an interesting book that lays out the liberal interpretation of history. Roaming fro as far back as the Bible to the contemporary US, the book charts out an arc of history whereby liberal democracies, underpinned by market based economies, come to characterise the human condition. There is much to recommend this view, but there are some flaws in the argument.
We are treated to a narrative arc where the culmination of Millennia is the United States. There is more than a bit of arrogance and hubris in this view. The ancient Chinese, Indian, and Persian cultural achievements are simply glossed over. Except for the points at which the served to further western, or, more accurately, Western European, culture. From this standpoint, Africa and South America don't actually exist. Within this view lies the essence of much that is wrong in the world today.
The book would have been quite accurate if Francis Fukuyama had been correct. With the collapse of the USSR, the US did represent the pinnacle of human cultural achievement. However, 20 years later, much of that edifice has started to crumble away. The US unipolar moment has been squandered in the Middle East and Central Asia in the attempt to force essentially medieval societies to become modern western ones. This has overseen the erosion of American moral authority.
American hubris in the commercial and financial has also contained the seeds of its own destruction. China was admitted to the global order in the presumption that China could be made more American through trade and finance. Only belatedly has it emerged that China has always played its own game, which is one of a different set of rules to the OECD nations. China isn't Japan. It doesn't want to ape the United States. It wants to be a richer version of itself. And that's where we are today.
The realisation of this fundamental point gave rise to the curious administration of President Trump. The American people now wish to put the genie back into the bottle, but it's too late. President Biden may wish to contain China, but that is not as easy as it was in the year 2000. It suggests that the core thesis of the book is wrong. The American unipolar moment was not the height of human development. It was simply anther milestone in the passage of the human condition. Perhaps China will make a better fist of it?
I can only go so far with the argument of the book. It does correctly outline the ebbs and flows of power and influence. It fails to recognise that there is no discernible end point. That what seems so powerful today may not be tomorrow. That the US will have to find some way of accommodating China, and possibly India, in the years to come.
From this perspective, the book has been written too soon. Had it been written 20 years later, I am certain that a different conclusion would have been reached. That leaves us with a book that is a product of its time. An historical curiosity.
We are treated to a narrative arc where the culmination of Millennia is the United States. There is more than a bit of arrogance and hubris in this view. The ancient Chinese, Indian, and Persian cultural achievements are simply glossed over. Except for the points at which the served to further western, or, more accurately, Western European, culture. From this standpoint, Africa and South America don't actually exist. Within this view lies the essence of much that is wrong in the world today.
The book would have been quite accurate if Francis Fukuyama had been correct. With the collapse of the USSR, the US did represent the pinnacle of human cultural achievement. However, 20 years later, much of that edifice has started to crumble away. The US unipolar moment has been squandered in the Middle East and Central Asia in the attempt to force essentially medieval societies to become modern western ones. This has overseen the erosion of American moral authority.
American hubris in the commercial and financial has also contained the seeds of its own destruction. China was admitted to the global order in the presumption that China could be made more American through trade and finance. Only belatedly has it emerged that China has always played its own game, which is one of a different set of rules to the OECD nations. China isn't Japan. It doesn't want to ape the United States. It wants to be a richer version of itself. And that's where we are today.
The realisation of this fundamental point gave rise to the curious administration of President Trump. The American people now wish to put the genie back into the bottle, but it's too late. President Biden may wish to contain China, but that is not as easy as it was in the year 2000. It suggests that the core thesis of the book is wrong. The American unipolar moment was not the height of human development. It was simply anther milestone in the passage of the human condition. Perhaps China will make a better fist of it?
I can only go so far with the argument of the book. It does correctly outline the ebbs and flows of power and influence. It fails to recognise that there is no discernible end point. That what seems so powerful today may not be tomorrow. That the US will have to find some way of accommodating China, and possibly India, in the years to come.
From this perspective, the book has been written too soon. Had it been written 20 years later, I am certain that a different conclusion would have been reached. That leaves us with a book that is a product of its time. An historical curiosity.
June 13, 2009
Accomplished journalist and former Deputy Secretary of State Stobe Talbott uses his proclaimed love of history and his life body of work to tackle the "modern" idea of eradicating borders when tackling gargantuan issues such as nuclear proliferation, genocide, the world economy.
In the first third of this book, Talbot traces the inclination of prior empires/nations to unify or sequester peoples for a variety of purposes. The reasoning gets more sophisticated with the introduction and, throughout the rest of the book, perpetuation of the ideas of thinkers such as Dante, Immanuel Kant, and Thomas Hobbes. Particularly intriguing was his usuage of a few works of art, most notably the "Towel of Babel" and references to related biblical lore.
The second part was dedicated to the last 100 years with the failure of the League of Nations and a later recognition for the necessity of such global controls particularly where it relates to war-the successor United Nations.
This leads into contemporary times when the triumphs of the UN and its many related international organizations are tested, especially in light of what is often described as unilateral diplomacy.
Talbott is right on with a lot of his assertions. He is careful to mention the ideas of much of his opponents in politics and refutes their ideas when he feels necessary, but never admonishes them. The book is exciting in some areas, while a little dry in others. I did appreciate Talbott using a variety of sources (not just written evidence) to illustrate his points. I may find myself referring to the book from time to time, particularly while navigating the news, but I doubt it was dynamic enough to ever read a second time. It was an educational experience, nonetheless.
In the first third of this book, Talbot traces the inclination of prior empires/nations to unify or sequester peoples for a variety of purposes. The reasoning gets more sophisticated with the introduction and, throughout the rest of the book, perpetuation of the ideas of thinkers such as Dante, Immanuel Kant, and Thomas Hobbes. Particularly intriguing was his usuage of a few works of art, most notably the "Towel of Babel" and references to related biblical lore.
The second part was dedicated to the last 100 years with the failure of the League of Nations and a later recognition for the necessity of such global controls particularly where it relates to war-the successor United Nations.
This leads into contemporary times when the triumphs of the UN and its many related international organizations are tested, especially in light of what is often described as unilateral diplomacy.
Talbott is right on with a lot of his assertions. He is careful to mention the ideas of much of his opponents in politics and refutes their ideas when he feels necessary, but never admonishes them. The book is exciting in some areas, while a little dry in others. I did appreciate Talbott using a variety of sources (not just written evidence) to illustrate his points. I may find myself referring to the book from time to time, particularly while navigating the news, but I doubt it was dynamic enough to ever read a second time. It was an educational experience, nonetheless.
May 13, 2009
Fantastic book, balancing the author's personal stories at the State Department during the Clinton Administration with substantial (and well-cited) evidence. This book chronicles the evolution of the "world state" idea, starting with Alexander the Great's military conquests to the role of the Catholic Church, and ending with substantial focus on the United Nations and the European Union. In the midst of this, Talbott draws on dozens of political philosophers, giving you a theoretical grounding for his historical and contemporary examples.
Talbott is clearly an "citizen of the world" first and an American second, but in no way does he jam his convictions down your throat. He admits that the UN is still a deeply flawed organization, but he also demonstrates how it has found great success over the past 60 years. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in current events, international affairs, and the rapidly shrinking world we live in.
Talbott is clearly an "citizen of the world" first and an American second, but in no way does he jam his convictions down your throat. He admits that the UN is still a deeply flawed organization, but he also demonstrates how it has found great success over the past 60 years. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in current events, international affairs, and the rapidly shrinking world we live in.
April 11, 2011
This is a themed history of great power diplomacy with a view towards various efforts at global or nearly global government. The idea seems to be the tension between coercion and cooperation, between power and ideas in coming to a good outcome. It is very west-centered and American-centered and seems to be a reaction to the Bush administration as well. There is a bit too much navel gazing going on here for me, although there are several interesting sections and the book provides a good historical review. Overall, I could have done better, but I did not want my money back. Paul Kennedy had recommended this, although with books by Bernstein and Chua in Foreign Affairs. I should have read his review more carefully - this was the weakest of the three and he said as much in the review.
December 12, 2010
A great review of the beginning of States and our slow march towards world government and international laws that every citizen must abide by. Talbott spends a great deal of time describing the 20th century and his dealings within the Bush and Clinton administration and the use of the UN by these administrations.
June 28, 2009
5 stars for the sheer comprehensiveness of Strobe's analysis of Western culture. If not novel in its content, certainly novel in the relatively concise delivery and enjoyable crash course in Western civilization and its major figures he provides, with convenient inserts for key ideas and players.
Want to read
August 28, 2009"Combining sweeping history with personal insight, Talbott explores the consolidation of tribes into nations and argues for America's unique role in modern history as "the master builder" of the international system."
September 28, 2012
Not the average teenage read, for sure. It goes through the motions of current (when it was written a few years ago) policies and political systems of the world, while incorporating the history of the author with the history of the world.
November 14, 2013
Spectacular book! Highest possible praise. I feel as if I've taken a complete course on Geopolitics and World History! Simply amazing. I will be reading it again....very, very soon! I need to become more conversant in this area.
March 3, 2009
This is the definitive review of Russian avante-garde art circa 1900 to Stalin.
July 31, 2011
This book is both erudite and eloquent.
However, while this book evidently provides a well-written historical narrative, I found it to be perhaps lacking in analysis and/or arguments.
However, while this book evidently provides a well-written historical narrative, I found it to be perhaps lacking in analysis and/or arguments.
May 26, 2011
very interesting story about the intellectual development leading to the creation of the League of Nations and the UNO
extensive coverage of the foreign policies of Bush 41, Clinton and Bush 43
extensive coverage of the foreign policies of Bush 41, Clinton and Bush 43
July 11, 2013
An extraordinary analysis of world history told from the perspective that we are one. I might be the only geek on the beach re-reading it this summer.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews