The imagination of America's political elites is dominated by a unipolar vision, according to which the world is dominated by the United States. But the real world is increasingly plural, and others instinctively fear and resist the American vision. Chapters 2 and 3 of this book look at the disastrous consequences of the vision at work - in the Middle East and in Europe. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 assess the limits of American power. Chapter 7 discusses the problems of order and coexistence in a world that is not unipolar but increasingly plural. It speculates on the possible contributions and likely fate of both 'Old America' and 'New Europe' as models for organizing the future. America's own constitutional equilibrium, David Calleo argues, increasingly requires friendly balancing from Europe. Both sides of the West must liberate their imaginations from past triumphs to face their responsibilities to the new world and to each other.

The book discusses the dangers of the 'unipolar view' of world politics, one in which the United States is overwhelmingly predominant and should act accordingly.

The unipolar fantasy Hubris in the Middle East The broken West Assessing America’s soft and hard power Feeding American power : the economic base Power and legitimacy among western states American and European models.