Rogue Nation is a thought provoking and striking analysis of America�€™s standing in the world. The author, Clyde Prestowitz, with his unique background in international relations and policy making (former official in the Reagan administration and currently a president of a think-tank) uses his personal experiences to highlight the reasons why the United States, as a country, is at odds with most countries and in opposition with a host of issues throughout the world �€“ the war on Iraq, Israel-Palestine conflict, free-trade agreements, and more.

Prestowitz, stresses that the America that we know today is not in consonance with the principle on which it was founded �€“ non-interference. He tries to present to the American common man the high-and-mighty attitude of America that has led to its negative image in the world. Prestowitz makes a clear distinction between America �€“ the country (or the empire) and the American people, the latter being liked more in most parts of the world. While he acknowledges the unmatched economic and defense prowess of the superpower, he expresses concern over the dictatorial and hegemonic attitude of its foreign policy. �€œIt will mean sharing some power, but the Declaration of Independence was about liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not the pursuit of power, and the Constitution was about controlling and limiting power. America was not designed to be an empire.�€ Prestowitz emphasizes that intrinsically, it is not American policy, which is faulty, but the manner in which the policy is pursued that is of concern.

His portrayal of America�€™s despotic policies has been beautifully substantiated with careful evidence. His creative sub-titles �€“ �€œDo as I say and not as I do�€ or �€œTeach them to fight - not to write�€ or �€œSowing the fields with mines�€ are self-explanatory. Prestowitz argues that though the world at large perceives America as a hypocrite, most, if not all, are powerless to go against it, for fear of being isolated. The consequences of not supporting or bowing down to its demands could be disastrous, considering the power America yields in all spheres.

Prestowitz contends that the American people seem to treat other nations inferiorly, and choose to believe that other nations and cultures would be better off if they emulated the Americans. As he clearly puts it, �€œAmerica is the only country with an �€˜ism�€™ attached to its name, �€œAmericanism�€ is a familiar word (more commonly heard in the negative, �€œanti-Americanism�€, but we never hear �€œanti-Japaneseism�€ or anti-Germanism�€). He ridiculed how in the wake of September 11, American flags were displayed in every available space. �€œEvery speech ended with the words �€˜God Bless America�€™. When Irish Republican Army terrorists had carried out attacks in Britain, or Algerian terrorists in France, or Aum terrorists in Japan, those nations were not suddenly bedecked with flags and their prime ministers didn�€™t call for God�€™s special blessing.�€

After a brilliant account of the events in the world, where America has had a say or continues to have a say, Prestowitz proposes that America should share power and responsibility as this would make America �€œone among many targets rather than the only target�€ and make other nations empathize with America�€™s predicaments in shouldering their responsibility. He contends that if America is to �€œadopt this unprecedented strategy, of diminishing our geopolitical power, we must address one last thing �€“ the creed. We are a well-intentioned people who have been blessed by fortune�€� An America that stressed its tolerance rather than its might, its tradition of open inquiry rather than its way of life, and that asked for God�€™s blessing on all the world�€™s people and not just its own, would be the America that the world desperately wants.�€

This book should be widely read and America be made aware of the dangerous consequences of its own patronizing attitude.