In the shadows of the American century : the rise and decline of U.S. global power / Alfred W. McCoy.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction. US global power and me -- Part I. Understanding the US empire. Ch. 1. The world island and the rise of America -- Ch. 2. "Our S.O.B.s" : America and the autocrats -- Ch. 3. Covert netherworld -- Part II. US strategies for survival. Ch. 4. A global surveillance state -- Ch. 5. Torture and the eclipse of empires -- Ch. 6. Beyond bayonets and battleships : the Pentagon's wonder weapons -- Part III. Dynamics of US decline. Ch. 7. Grandmasters of the great game -- Ch. 8. Five scenarios for the end of the American century.

In a completely original analysis, prize-winning historian Alfred W. McCoy explores America's rise as a world power--from the 1890s through the Cold War--and its bid to extend its hegemony deep into the twenty-first century through a fusion of cyberwar, space warfare, trade pacts, and military alliances. McCoy then analyzes the marquee instruments of US hegemony--covert intervention, client elites, psychological torture, and worldwide surveillance. Peeling back layers of secrecy, McCoy exposes a military and economic battle for global domination fought in the shadows, largely unknown to those outside the highest rungs of power."--Page 4 of cover.