Rating: 
Summary: The right answers to timely questions
Review: For once, a conservative like myself can find a credible, conservative foreign policy alternative to arrogance and brute force. It is firmly grounded in a well-researched reality, and it's a fun and enlightening read. It questions America's actions in the world without renouncing America's tradition of leadership.
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Summary: Politics for the Apolitical
Review: I first heard about this book listening to the book's author promoting it on some news radio show, and the next week I saw it in the book store and started reading it on a whim. I finished it in three days.Clyde Prestowitz, the author, is an old diplomat who's seen the last three decades or so working in Europe and Asia, when he wasn't advising presidential administrations. The thing that impressed me the most about the book was Prestowitz's calm, objective (although not disinterested) viewpoint. Although he tackles issues like globalization, the economy, and the Middle East, he refrains from pointing fingers, or at least from blaming any one group in particular (one of the stronger rebukes comes down on the "professional left" and college protesters). He is also a devout Christian, which is sometimes a thing I hold against people, but in this case, every time he opens his mouth on the subject it actually strengthens his case. (I especially liked his use of the quote "I can only render unto God what is God's and unto Caeser's what is Caeser's"). He is focused, but not fanatical, and if he delivers blame it is only after a long period of analyzation and thought, which I guess is what made him stand out from the other authors on the shelves, most of whose books had titles like Useful Idiots or Stupid Right Men or Why the Left Hates America or Blinded by the Right. Most importantly, he stays away from the "I'm right and you're stupid" attitude that pervades most political mediums today. The primary focus of the book is American foreign policy, not only in the post-September 11 era but since the Cold War. His message is that America is alienating the world through an increasingly standoffish attitude and a growing unwillingness to consider different viewpoints. To solve it, he says, America must swallow a measure of its pride and become a good "neighbor on the block" or risk becoming an enemy of every nation, friends and foes. I have an excerpt from the conclusion of the book, where Prestowitz comes down hardest on the "neoconservatives". This is one of the only times in the book where Prestowitz actually delivers blame on a particular group. "The imperial project of the so-called neoconservatives is not conservatism at all but radicalism, egotism and adventuratism articulated in the stirring rhetoric of traditonal patriotism. Real conservatives have never been messianic or doctrinal. The very essense of conservatism, which the neoconservatives constantly preach, is limited government. Yet the imperial projects they are proposing will greatly increase the role of government, both at home and abroad ... This is not conservatism. It is Big Government". On the whole, though, I found this book fascinating and thought-provoking, and I'd recommend that every person, whether they are an American or not, read it, if only to know what they're disagreeing with.
Rating:
Summary: For those who think this book is a must read
Review: I implore you to note that Mr. Prestowitz is now a policy advisor for Howard Dean, and MUCH of Mr, Prestowitz's insight is evident if you look into and see the direction to and scope of Dean's foreign policy positions. Dean is speaking truth to power, and seeing the larger ramifications and impact of where we are, were we are headed, and where we SHOUDL be headed.
Rating:
Summary: All Americans Should Read This Book
Review: I was immediately engaged in this book. Mr. Prestowitz has the domestic and international experience to concisely explore America's international policies. He begins by explaining that world opinion of the United States is turning more negative as we barge into other country's affairs and invade them for interests of our own. We neglect problems around the world such as environmental pollution and waste, hunger and disease. This is not aimed necessarily at the present administration, but he details in a nutshell the decisions made by previous ones that affect decisions today. It's a great primer for anyone who wants to get a grip on America's stance around the world. It was a shock to find out so many leaders from other countries consider us unreliable and are suspicious of our motives. He delves into the myth we Americans believe of ourselves as a people trying to do good around the world. What we believe of ourselves is not what outsiders see. To be thought of as a "Rogue Nation" by other countries should be discomforting and frightening.
This is an excellent book. The author gives a balanced synopsis of our involvement in the Middle East, Korea, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, China, Japan, etc.; all the areas that are going to plague us in the years to come.
Rating:
Summary: All Americans Should Read This Book
Review: I was immediately engaged in this book. Mr. Prestowitz has the domestic and international experience to concisely explore America's international policies. He begins by explaining that world opinion of the United States is turning more negative as we barge into other country's affairs and invade them for interests of our own. We neglect problems around the world such as environmental pollution and waste, hunger and disease. This is not aimed necessarily at the present administration, but he details in a nutshell the decisions made by previous ones that affect decisions today. It's a great primer for anyone who wants to get a grip on America's stance around the world. It was a shock to find out so many leaders from other countries consider us unreliable and are suspicious of our motives. He delves into the myth we Americans believe of ourselves as a people trying to do good around the world. What we believe of ourselves is not what outsiders see. To be thought of as a "Rogue Nation" by other countries should be discomforting and frightening.
This is an excellent book. The author gives a balanced synopsis of our involvement in the Middle East, Korea, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, China, Japan, etc.; all the areas that are going to plague us in the years to come.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant book from a gifted communicator
Review: I will not discuss the content of the book very much, as that is well explained in the synopsis provided by Amazon and many of the other excellent reviews. Instead I will discuss why this book left me shaking my head in admiration and appreciation. This book is a masterpiece. It is vast in scope, integrated and coherent in it's arguments, and supported by a profound depth of the author's experience, scholarship, and writing ability. It is also a very enjoyable read. The best analogy I have to the effectiveness of Mr. Prestowitz's writing is that of the best teacher you ever had at school--how that teacher made the subject matter seem so easy, and such a pleasure to learn. Mr. Prestowitz has that ability. Part of his abililty is due his profound insight of the United States and the world, their history and interaction, and how we arrived where we are. His understanding is the result I am sure of a lifetime of experience and study. The rest of his ability is due to a remarkable clarity of thought, the logical progression of his arguments, and his writing ability. He cuts the heart of what is going on with U.S., and why our indifference to world opinion or cooperation is turning the United States into the equivalent of a corporate CEO gone amok (my analogy). Better yet, he provides realistic and relatively simply solutions.
Rating:
Summary: Required Reading!
Review: In a world increasingly defined in simple stark contrasts of black and white, for us or against us, and good and evil, noted conservative author and social analyst Clyde Prestowicz adds some much needed perspective that both explains why the rest of the civilized world increasingly views us with suspicion and alarm, on the one hand, and why we are reacting to this seemingly new state of world affairs with dismay and righteous indignation. While we Americans are rightly outraged by the events surrounding 911, our reaction as though we were the only nation, or even the first nation, to experience such outrageously murderous attacks by terrorists is not correct; nor is it a helpful tact to use in then attempting to justify international military action against a foe we have not so far demonstrated had any role in such terrorist attacks. Based on this set of dangerous actions as well as a number of other unilateral actions, which collectively seem to signal a profound political indifference on our part toward legitimate international interests and concerns. Thus, we thumb our noses at the United Nations and international law by unilaterally attacking Iraq, in defiance of agreements with the United Nations an NATO on the one hand, and in violation of the Geneva Convention and the Treaty Of Westphalia as well. After nearly ten yeas of painstaking efforts by politicians from 46 countries to define, negotiate, and finalize the so-called Kyoto Accords, a set of international agreements to slow down the degradation of the environment and help mitigate a multitude of problems associated with air, water, and ground pollution, the Bush administration suddenly reversed the course of the two previous administrations and refused to recommend ratification of the accords. Moreover, we also unilaterally abrogated from participating in the International Criminal Court system, and walked away from the mutually binding agreement with the former Soviet Union not to develop or deploy anti-ballistic missile defense systems. From stem to stern, the Bush administration seemed to be telling the world that it was our way or the highway. In so doing, Mr. Bush has done much to convince the world the USA cares only about ourselves. And it is this issue regarding the differences in our policies and our perceived consciousness of ourselves that the author mines such a provocative essay on what it means to be an American in today's complex and permanently interdependent world, and what we must understand about the rest of the world in order to act in a way that serves both our own interests and considers theirs as well. We must reconcile our self-image as the champion of freedom and liberty with our actions abroad, supporting democratic institutions instead of paying mere lip service to doing so while forging alliances with despots, dictators, and military juntas. More than anything, we must reassure our allies and friends abroad, from France to Japan, from Australia to Canada, and from China to Germany, which we are the defenders of freedom and liberty we claim, and that we are not attempting to foist onto the world a new century of American hegemony. This book is essential reading for concerned American citizens, and one that derives a lot of credibility based on the author's impeccable conservative credentials. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Every American needs to read this book
Review: In response to 9/11, Bernard Lewis bloviated in "What Went Wrong" (with respect to the Islamic world), that when things go wrong for you, you can either say: "who did this to me" and point the finger at someone else, or; you can ask "what did we do to ourselves and how do we fix it". There is a third question, however, that Lewis doesn't ask- "what have we done to them (that they feel the way they do)". Clyde Prestowitz does exactly that. Many readers may think this book the rantings of a left-wing ideologue, but for the fact it comes from a conservative. Prestowitz was a US trade negotiator under the Reagan Administration and possesses conservative values on par with any Reaganite. Rogue Nations examines the inconsistency between what America preaches versus America's conduct, implemented through our policies. His ability to understand arises from his experience as a negotiator; i.e., one, who by profession, must listen and understand the other side in order obtain what he wants for America. This skill in listening serves him well because he presents to the readership the admiration and disappointments of others with America's behaviour. Prestowitz begins with a very interesting point about America itself. He believes America is a religion. The American idea, articulated so well in the Bill of Rights, inheres in every citizen an idealism and vision that every person in the world can grab onto and believe regardless of race, religion, and gender. More importantly, is the belief that if "America" is good for us, then it must be good for everyone else and should be exported. Prestowitz discovers through conversations with Prime Ministers, Ambassadors, trade negotiators and business people around the world is that while the rest of the world truly admires American the idea (and Americans), it simultaneously resents us. The problem, as perceived by world citizens, is that what America wants for itself, many times, it will not afford to others. America possesses a certain religiosity about its ideals conferring a sense of entitlement and exceptionalism in comparison to the rest of the world-and there is the rub. Americans think they deserve the richness, wealth and resources other nations possess (oil, for one) because we are exceptional. Our way is the best way, if not the only way. We believe we are a chosen people possessing a manifest destiny to shape the world in our image and that creates resentment around the world. The book is basically organized by policies and reveals how these policies affect other countries to their detriment and to our benefit. Chapters include international financial policy (and explains how IMF policy led by US policy makers and financiers exacerbated the Asian financial crisis); arms, military manufacture and military consultancy and how we weaponize the world (often selling weapons to both sides of a conflict); American subsidies (and how it destroys third world economies because they lack the financial assets to subsidize their own industries); environmental policies and the Kyoto treaty (and how America brought the world on board regarding environmental cognizance only to then discard treaties of our own instigation to the consternation of Europe); foreign policy and interventionism (He nicely demonstrates where and how we intervened in the domestic policies of other countries by installing dictators or engineering coups to the detriment of locals); domestic policy and Washington lobbies, specifically how the pro-Israel and pro-Taiwan lobbies affect foreign policy, often to the detriment of America's long term interests. America has spent the last two years acting, by Bernard Lewis's standard, pointing the finger at others and saying "who did this to us." Clyde Prestowitz boldly challenges this mindset by asking America to understand how its actions abroad affect other and to take responsibility for it; to have the wisdom and humility to see the folly of our current and past acts, and to possess the courage to make changes accordingly. Prestowitz's solutions for bringing American prestige, honor, and good-will back from the brink are based on pragmatism and fairness (50 years of Kissingerian manipulation is a losing long term proposition). His recommendations overturn the hypocrisy of our policies in light of our preachings to the rest of the world. More importantly, he prescribes solutions not out of self-hatred for America (the favorite accusation from the Right about those on the left), but from the desire to see America live up to its true potential-to BE the shining city atop the hill.
Rating:
Summary: We reap what we sow.
Review: It's so easy to forget the things we do as a country and each decision we make builds on the last. Bad decisions lead to more bad decisions. This book describes that pathway and takes the subject matter by headings so that you need not read the whole book to get to the meat of things. Conservative or liberal, you will like this book because it is so factual. Time and again I was telling my self, "Wow, I forgot about that, why did we do that?" Generally the answer had to do with power, special intersts, the pro Israel lobby in Congress, and oil. But now with our deficits the US may fall behind the EU in economic stability, and we are hated by just about everyone. It is easy to see why if you read through the whole book. I am more than just a little ashamed at our past and present behavior toward the rest of the world. History combines with reality in this excellent book. We reap what we sow.
Rating:
Summary: We reap what we sow.
Review: It's so easy to forget the things we do as a country and each decision we make builds on the last. Bad decisions lead to more bad decisions. This book describes that pathway and takes the subject matter by headings so that you need not read the whole book to get to the meat of things. Conservative or liberal, you will like this book because it is so factual. Time and again I was telling my self, "Wow, I forgot about that, why did we do that?" Generally the answer had to do with power, special intersts, the pro Israel lobby in Congress, and oil. But now with our deficits the US may fall behind the EU in economic stability, and we are hated by just about everyone. It is easy to see why if you read through the whole book. I am more than just a little ashamed at our past and present behavior toward the rest of the world. History combines with reality in this excellent book. We reap what we sow.
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