Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions by Clyde V. Prestowitz

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  • Publisher: Basic Books
  • Pub. Date: May 2004
  • ISBN-13: 9780641798603
  • 342pp
  • Edition Description: Bargain

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Synopsis

America's democratic ideals have long been the hope of the world, but our allies increasingly see us as abandoning those ideals. It's not hard to understand why. In the months before 9/11, the United States walked away from a number of international treaties including the Kyoto Accord. After the attack, the United States turned a cold shoulder to NATO's offers to assist with the invasion of Afghanistan, unilaterally terminated the ABM treaty, and actively opposed the creation of an International Criminal Court. Then came the war on Iraq, begun despite the clear refusal of the United Nations Security Council to authorize an invasion.Obsessed with our own immediate military and economic security, we now deem institutions like NATO and the UN irrelevant. We have abandoned containment for a policy of preventive attacks on potential threats. More and more, we act alone, with little regard for the needs and goals of other nations.Rogue Nation is not an argument against American dominance or the exercise of American power. It's an argument against stupidity, arrogance, and ignorance in the exercise of power. Prestowitz explores the historical roots of the unilateral impulse and shows how it now influences every important area of American foreign policy. Even now, when the need for multilateral action has never been greater, we continue to act contrary to international law, custom, and our own best interests.

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Biography

Clyde Prestowitz is President of the Economic Strategy Institute in Washington, D.C., and is the author of Trading Places and Rogue Nation. He lives in Potomac, Maryland.

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Number of Reviews: 2
Average Rating: Customer Rating for this product is 4 out of 5
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Customer Rating for this product is 4 out of 5 World’s Goliath to Be Distrusted, Disliked, and Feared?
Serge Van Steenkiste (sergevs@joimail.com) , A reviewer, 02/06/2006

Clyde Prestowitz is relentless in identifying and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. as the rest of the world perceives them. Prestowitz shows with much conviction that some Americans are not conscious enough of the gap that exists between how they see themselves and how they are perceived abroad. Nonetheless, most Americans already know that the U.S. is ultimately held to higher standards than the other countries because of its ambition to lead and inspire the world. The U.S. has been the key driver in exporting free trade, democracy, and peace, the ideas that have conquered the world following the collapse of the British Empire. The world is definitely better off thanks to what the U.S. has achieved since the 1940s. Being mighty, however, does not necessarily mean being right. Furthermore, being right is sometimes perceived as less important than the way it is conveyed. However, there is hope for starting to bridge this reality gap. Michael Mandelbaum convincingly demonstrates in The Case for Goliath that no other country than the U.S. has the ability and willingness to offer the world the governance it badly needs. The U.S. needs to better advertise and sell the global services that it provides to the community of sovereign states. These global services are most often underappreciated and taken for granted due to a lack of visibility.

Customer Rating for this product is 4 out of 5 Decent Critique of US Policy
A reviewer (seanmscanlon@yahoo.com) , A reviewer, 08/25/2005

This book starts out as you would expect from the title - it's full of complaints about the current policies of the United States complete with hind-sight. Some of the stories, like one about farming subsidies and Africa make you want to gag. Where the book really shines is its ability to get into the heads of the peoples of different countries. Prestowitz does a good job of providing an outlook of America through the eyes of the Chinese, the Europeans and other nationalities. If you can read it with objectivity it is a good read. If you want a yes book for your current agenda, you might find problems.

Also recommended: Colossus by Niall Ferguson and America Unbound by Daalder and Lindsey offer good contrasting views along the same topic lines.