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The Grand Chessboard
- Author
- Zbigniew Brzezinski
- Narrator
- Alan Peterson
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Publish Date
- 17 February 2026
- Run Time
- 8 hours 3 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
“The Grand Chessboard makes permanent contributions to the national debate over American foreign policy and power.”―Los Angeles Times
In this seminal work, celebrated political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski delivers a provocative, revolutionary geostrategy for American preeminence in the twenty-first century. The United States’ crucial task, he argues, is to become the sole political arbiter in Eurasia and 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 Brzezinski argues that America's supremacy will be ratified and challenged. With signature insight and lucidity, Brzezinski spans from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the Russo-Ukrainian War and the rise of China.
The Grand Chessboard is a landmark work, both in Brzezinski’s oeuvre and in the field of political science. It remains an essential, powerful blueprint for protecting America's most vital interests in Eurasia and beyond.
Critics Review
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“Brzezinski has now provided another scholarly blueprint for what he believes the United States should do in coming years to further America's interests, maintain the hegemony it commands, and prevent global anarchy. For Brzezinski, this is a strategic game, not unlike chess, to outwit potential rivals....His books are there for any political leader to use as material for future policy declarations.”—New York Times
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“The Grand Chessboard makes permanent contributions to the national debate over American foreign policy and power.”—Los Angeles Times
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“The great merit of this volume lies in its analysis of the strategic outlook and policy dilemmas of a host of states in Eurasia, a tour d'horizon lucidly rendered. Brzezinski's analysis of the triangular relationship among China, Japan, and America—together with the policy recommendations flowing therefrom—is particularly good.”—Foreign Affairs
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“As sobering as it is timely.”—American Spectator
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“This book is a must...for the current American foreign-policy decision-makers.”—H-Net
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“Like a grandmaster in chess, [Brzezinski] plots his strategy several moves in advance....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
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“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, author of The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order
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“The Grand Chessboard is, at last, a lucid, brilliantly presented exposition of the necessary new framework for American foreign policy, tying together the objectives for the short, medium, and long term that the country should now begin to implement. This fills a vital need.”—Flora Lewis, former columnist, International New York Times
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“In this incisive book—itself on the most important documents to emerge in the wake of the Cold War's end—Zbigniew Brzezinski displays his legendary scope and intellectual acuity in giving purpose to American power. In this time of drift, Brzezinski remains America's paramount strategic mind.”—Nathan Gardels, editor-in-chief, Noema Magazine
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“The Grand Chessboard will shock the timid, infuriate the unimaginative, and inspire the thoughtful reader. For those who believe America should be lead but are unsure how, it offers a pragmatic and compelling vision. For those in charge of U.S. policy-making, it is a required manual. ”—Lieutenant General William E. Odom
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Details
- Author
- Zbigniew Brzezinski
- Narrator
- Alan Peterson
- Duration
- 8 hours 3 minutes
- Release Date
- 17 February 2026
- ISBN
- 9781668656259
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hachette Audio
- Genre
- Political science and theory
Synopsis
From one of America’s leading geopolitical thinkers, the classic treatise on America's strategic mission in the modern world“The Grand Chessboard makes permanent contributions to the national debate over American foreign policy and power.”―Los Angeles Times In this seminal work, celebrated political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski delivers a provocative, revolutionary geostrategy for American preeminence in the twenty-first century. The United States’ crucial task, he argues, is to become the sole political arbiter in Eurasia and 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 Brzezinski argues that America's supremacy will be ratified and challenged. With signature insight and lucidity, Brzezinski spans from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the Russo-Ukrainian War and the rise of China.  The Grand Chessboard is a landmark work, both in Brzezinski’s oeuvre and in the field of political science. It remains an essential, powerful blueprint for protecting America's most vital interests in Eurasia and beyond.  
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