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.
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.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.
