Rogue Nation American Unilateralism And The Failure Of Good Intentions

by Prestowitz, Clyde V

• ISBN13: 9780465062805
• ISBN10: 0465062806
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-05-12
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

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 Nationis 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.

Author 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.

Table of Contents

1 At Odds with the World-and Ourselves	1	(18)
2 The Unacknowledged Empire	19	(32)
3 America's Game	51	(30)
4 Running on Empty	81	(30)
5 Who Lost Kyoto?	111	(32)
6 In Arms We Trust	143	(28)
7 Peaceful People, Endless War	171	(22)
8 Wagging the Dog: Two Tales	193	(34)
9 Friends and Foes	227	(40)
10 City on a Hill	267	(18)
Epilogue	285	(14)
Notes	299	(20)
Recommended Reading	319	(6)
Acknowledgments	325	(4)
Index	329