Rogue Nation -- Who Is Against the World? : Who Is Against the World?

Author: Clive Ponting
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The author of The Age of License, Clive Ponting, is the president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. He published this book in the first half of 2003. He deliberately chose a provocative title for the book, stating, "I am not equating the United States with the regime led by Saddam Hussein or other brutal autocratic governments. I have always been willing to see the United States as a shining city on a hill, though sometimes the clouds are a bit darker than the sunshine. However, what bothers me and led me to choose this title is that an increasing number of foreigners, including many old friends of the United States, believe that if the United States is not exactly the same as Saddam Hussein or other tyrants, it must be a 'unfriendly, disrespectful, unrestrained, irresponsible, and unpredictable' country, as defined in dictionaries. Many people around the world believe that President Bush poses a greater threat to world peace than Saddam Hussein. The 'indispensable' country has now begun to act like a rogue state. Bush's America does not lead the international community but instead seeks to oppose it. It does not strive to be a shining city on a hill but instead loudly proclaims nationalist slogans: 'We will do as we please, and if you don't like it, then tough luck.'"
In the book, the author explores the historical roots of American unilateralism and how it now affects every important area of U.S. foreign policy: trade and economic policy, arms control, energy, the environment, agriculture, and more. The book documents some familiar events: six months before the September 11th attacks, the United States withdrew from the Convention on Small Arms Trafficking, the Kyoto Protocol, the Mine Ban Treaty, negotiations on biological and chemical weapons, and many other international agreements. After the brief euphoria of the global coalition following September 11th, the United States was cool to NATO's offer to assist in attacking Afghanistan, unilaterally withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia, and fiercely opposed the establishment of an International Criminal Court. Then, it launched a war on Iraq despite the United Nations Security Council's clear refusal to authorize an invasion.
The author provides a multi-faceted perspective on how the world's only superpower views its role in the modern world. He argues that unilateral actions do not indicate hostility toward other countries but rather that the United States' democratic ideals remain the world's hope. However, its allies increasingly believe that the United States has abandoned this ideal. In the past, the United States defined its national interests in ways accepted worldwide—through good global mechanisms, procedures, and the rule of law. Now, it focuses narrowly on direct U.S. military and economic security. The United States increasingly acts unilaterally, especially when using force, with extreme ignorance, arrogance, and recklessness, rarely considering or even disregarding the needs and goals of other countries.
The book has had a significant impact on U.S. society and academia. David Gergen, the current director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University and a former advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton, called it "a bold work that all who care about American achievements should read." He added, "The extremely conservative scholar Clive Ponting directly challenges the new orthodoxy—the idea that the United States should pursue its own interests regardless of what others think."
At a press conference shortly after the backlash, President George W. Bush was asked, "Why do they hate us?" The "they" in the question referred to terrorists and their supporters, including those referred to as "rogue states" and later as Bush's "axis of evil." However, the direct response came not from the Bush administration but from a far more important and numerous "they"—individuals who showed not hatred but love for the United States. Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia (the United States' long-time Cold War adversary), called the White House. Shortly after, Jiang Zemin, the president of China (another country with a long-standing poor relationship with the United States), followed suit. French President Jacques Chirac quickly flew to New York, becoming the first foreign leader to observe the "zero zone" (the disaster site). Many others came afterward, of course, on orders or even as mere diplomatic gestures. But it cannot be denied that the vast majority of people around the world expressed their sincerity in showing sympathy. From London to Moscow to Singapore, U.S. embassies worldwide were flooded with bouquets of flowers. In Paris, French flags along the Seine River were lowered to half-mast. "Le Monde" declared in a full-page headline, "We Are All Americans."