The United States of Ambition

The United States of Ambition
Author: Alan Ehrenhalt
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Total Pages: 342
Release: 1992
Genre: History
ISBN:

The provocative and acclaimed book that explains why America's politicians are continually disappointing. Americans' disappointment with politics and politicians will be a recurring theme in this election year, and Ehrenhalt's book will continue to be the touchstone for much of the debate.C.

The End of Ambition

The End of Ambition
Author: Mark Atwood Lawrence
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2024-11-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 0691264600

A groundbreaking new history of how the Vietnam War thwarted U.S. liberal ambitions in the developing world and at home in the 1960s At the start of the 1960s, John F. Kennedy and other American liberals expressed boundless optimism about the ability of the United States to promote democracy and development in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. With U.S. power, resources, and expertise, almost anything seemed possible in the countries of the Cold War’s “Third World”—developing, postcolonial nations unaligned with the United States or Soviet Union. Yet by the end of the decade, this vision lay in ruins. What happened? In The End of Ambition, Mark Atwood Lawrence offers a groundbreaking new history of America’s most consequential decade. He reveals how the Vietnam War, combined with dizzying social and political changes in the United States, led to a collapse of American liberal ambition in the Third World—and how this transformation was connected to shrinking aspirations back home in America. By the middle and late 1960s, democracy had given way to dictatorship in many Third World countries, while poverty and inequality remained pervasive. As America’s costly war in Vietnam dragged on and as the Kennedy years gave way to the administrations of Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon, America became increasingly risk averse and embraced a new policy of promoting mere stability in the Third World. Paying special attention to the U.S. relationships with Brazil, India, Iran, Indonesia, and southern Africa, The End of Ambition tells the story of this momentous change and of how international and U.S. events intertwined. The result is an original new perspective on a war that continues to haunt U.S. foreign policy today.

The Ambition

The Ambition
Author: Lee Strobel
Publisher: Zondervan
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2011-05-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0310560160

A corrupt judge in a mob murder case. A disillusioned pastor, hungry for power. A cynical reporter, sniffing for a scandal. A gambling addict whose secret tape threatens the lives of everyone who hears it.New York Times bestselling author, Lee Strobel, weaves these edgy characters into an intricate thriller set in a gleaming, suburban megachurch, a big-city newspaper struggling for survival, and the shadowy corridors of political intrigue. The unexpected climax is as gripping as the contract killing that punctuates the opening scene.

Ambition, A History

Ambition, A History
Author: William Casey King
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2013-01-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300189842

Is “ambitious” a compliment? It depends: “[A] masterpiece of intellectual and cultural history.”—David Brion Davis, author of Inhuman Bondage: The Rise and Fall of Slavery in the New World From rags to riches, log house to White House, enslaved to liberator, ghetto to CEO, ambition fuels the American Dream. Yet at the time of the nation's founding, ambition was viewed as a dangerous vice, everything from “a canker on the soul” to the impetus for original sin. This engaging book explores ambition’s surprising transformation, tracing attitudes from classical antiquity to early modern Europe to the New World and America’s founding. From this broad historical perspective, William Casey King deepens our understanding of the American mythos and offers a striking reinterpretation of the introduction to the Declaration of Independence. Through an innovative array of sources and authors—Aquinas, Dante, Machiavelli, the Geneva Bible, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Thomas Jefferson, and many others—King demonstrates that a transformed view of ambition became possible the moment Europe realized that Columbus had discovered not a new route but a new world. In addition the author argues that reconstituting ambition as a virtue was a necessary precondition of the American republic. The book suggests that even in the twenty-first century, ambition has never fully lost its ties to vice and continues to exhibit a dual nature—positive or negative depending upon the ends, the means, and the individual involved.

Rescuing Ambition

Rescuing Ambition
Author: Dave Harvey
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2010
Genre: Ambition
ISBN: 9781433514913

Ambition needs to be rescued and put to work for God's glory. This book will encourage and embolden believers to pursue their dreams with a godly ambition that seeks more for God and from God.

Ambition in America

Ambition in America
Author: Jeffrey A. Becker
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014-04-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780813145044

Most Americans admire the determination and drive of artists, athletes, and CEOs, but they seem to despise similar ambition in their elected officials. The structure of political representation and the separation of powers detailed in the United States Constitution were intended to restrain self-interested ambition. Because not all citizens have a desire to rule, republican democracies must choose leaders from pools of ambitious candidates while trying to prevent those same people from exploiting public power to dominate the less ambitious. Ambition in America: Political Power and the Collapse of Citizenship is an engaging examination of this rarely studied yet significant phenomenon. Author Jeffrey A. Becker explores how American political institutions have sought to guide, inspire, and constrain citizens' ambitions to power. Detailing the Puritans' government by "moral community," the Founders' attempts to curtail ambition, the influence of Jacksonian populism, and twentieth-century party politics, Becker presents an unfolding drama that culminates in a spirited discussion of the deficiencies in the current political system.This groundbreaking work reassesses the value and role of ambition in politics in order to identify the beliefs and practices that threaten self-government, as well as those that can strengthen democratic politics.

The Power of Ambition

The Power of Ambition
Author: Jim Rohn
Publisher: Sound Wisdom
Total Pages: 219
Release: 2022-04-19
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1640953566

From America’s leading authority on success comes a book that will help you redefine ambition so that you can use your drive to serve others while creating the fulfilling life you desire. In The Power of Ambition, Jim Rohn debunks the myths and misconceptions about ambition that cause it to hinder, rather than fuel, personal achievement. Genuine ambition is not a self-serving impulse. Quite the opposite—it empowers us to better our lives and the lives of those around us. Rohn details six revolutionary strategies for cultivating legitimate ambition and harnessing it to transform what is going on within and around you. “Motivation can come from anywhere, but ambition is only drawn from within. Access your inner drive to achieve all the things you’ve been working for.” —Jim Rohn Ambition is as much a mindset as it is a lifestyle. As Rohn defines it: “True ambition is disciplined, eager desire.” The Power of Ambition will help you live with intention every moment so that you can enjoy the change you envision for your life. You’ll learn: How to build the framework for an ambitious life How to leverage the power of creativity to stay focused on your goals The five criteria for developing persistence The seven qualities that promote resilience The keys to effective networking And more! Ambition is the most authentic form of self-expression—begin channeling its power today so that you can live with passion and purpose.

Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China

Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China
Author: Evan Osnos
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2014-05-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 0374712042

Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction finalist Winner of the 2014 National Book Award in nonfiction. As the Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos was on the ground in China for years, witness to profound political, economic, and cultural upheaval. Age of Ambition provides a vibrant, colorful, and revelatory inner history of China during a moment of profound transformation. From abroad, we often see China as a caricature: a nation of pragmatic plutocrats and ruthlessly dedicated students destined to rule the global economy-or an addled Goliath, riddled with corruption and on the edge of stagnation. What we don't see is how both powerful and ordinary people are remaking their lives as their country dramatically changes. In Age of Ambition, Osnos describes the greatest collision taking place in that country: the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party's struggle to retain control. He asks probing questions: Why does a government with more success lifting people from poverty than any civilization in history choose to put strict restraints on freedom of expression? Why do millions of young Chinese professionals-fluent in English and devoted to Western pop culture-consider themselves "angry youth," dedicated to resisting the West's influence? How are Chinese from all strata finding meaning after two decades of the relentless pursuit of wealth? Writing with great narrative verve and a keen sense of irony, Osnos follows the moving stories of everyday people and reveals life in the new China to be a battleground between aspiration and authoritarianism, in which only one can prevail. An Economist Best Book of 2014. Winner of the bronze medal for the Council on Foreign Relations’ 2015 Arthur Ross Book Award

Blind Ambition

Blind Ambition
Author: Chad E. Foster
Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2021-02-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1400222656

For anyone seeking to live life to its fullest potential, Blind Ambition is an eye-opening account of a tech industry executive who overcame fear and hopelessness to turn his blindness disability into a powerful, competitive strength. While most people were preparing for the adventure of adult life, Chad E. Foster was watching the world he grew up with fade to black but that didn’t stop him from becoming the first blind person to graduate from the Harvard Business School leadership program and climbing the corporate ladder as a successful finance/sales executive. With determination, ambition, and drive, Chad created what Oracle said would be impossible. He gave millions of people the ability to earn a living by becoming the first to create customer relationship software for the visually impaired. Even if you've been robbed of your self-identity and dreams for the future, you can change your story and achieve your goals. In Blind Ambition, readers and listeners will: Be inspired by Chad’s story of how he transformed the loss of his vision into a gift with unique strengths and abilities he did not have before. See how we choose the stories we tell ourselves about our circumstances and how this either limits us or propels us toward our goals. Gain new perspective on what is possible when you shift your mindset, give up making excuses, and decide that you oversee who you want to be. Learn the mental model that Chad uses to quickly overcome frustrations and stressors. Overcoming the challenges of blindness improved Chad’s perspective, making him more resilient and grateful for the life that he has. Ultimately, Chad's unforgettable lessons and outlook will inspire listeners to overcome their perceived limitations and explore new possibilities where they once may have only seen obstacles. Blind Ambition will teach you how to take advantage of your disadvantages.