''Rogue Nation'' is a book by Clyde Prestowitz which criticizes

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

's foreign policies as "unilateralist."

Reviews

The book, written by the founder and President of the Economic Strategy Institute, is critical of the policies and practices of George Bush. The author examines many issues where the U.S. has disagreed with the rest of the world:

free trade agreement A free trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating state (polity), states. There are two types of trade agreements: Bilateralism, bilateral and Multilateralism, m ...

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the treaty to eliminate

land mine A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...

s, the creation of an

International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an intergovernmental organization and International court, international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute ...

, the war on Iraq and more. The author argues neither for nor against particular policies, but rather against the manner in which those policies are implemented. He explores the historical roots of

unilateralism __NOTOC__ Unilateralism is any doctrine or agenda that supports one-sided action. Such action may be in disregard for other parties, or as an expression of a commitment toward a direction which other parties may find disagreeable. As a word, ''un ...

and shows how it shapes

American foreign policy The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...

in many important areas: trade and economic policy, arms control, energy, environment, drug trafficking, & agriculture. He states that much of the international community regards the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

as a "rogue nation"—whether they are in fact or not. Prestowitz notes, "Nations are very much like individuals. More than desire for material gain or fear or love, they are driven by a craving for dignity and respect, by the need to be recognized as valid and just as valuable as the next person or country." He proposes that America's people and its leaders become better listeners. He interviewed an impressive number of foreign diplomats,

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

s, and government officials, and he truthfully presents their views even when he does not concur. He provides historical context for various controversies. The book is described by several reviewers as informative and challenging.

Publisher's comments

Prestowitz, a former

Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following his landslide victory over ...

trade official, is by no means

anti-American Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment and Americanophobia) is a term that can describe several sentiments and po ...

. He insists that America's intentions are usually good, and that the world likes and admires Americans when they live up to their own ideals.''Publishers Weekly'', May 1, 2003, on ''Rogue Nation''
/ref> , Basic Books (2003)

References

2003 non-fiction books Books about George W. Bush Books about foreign relations of the United States Books about the 2003 invasion of Iraq Books about the War on Terror American political books {{US-int-book-stub