America and its critics : virtues and vices of the democratic hyperpower / Sergio Fabbrini.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fabbrini, Sergio.

Standardized Title:

America e i suoi critici. English

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy--United States.

Democracy.

United States.

United States--Politics and government--1989-.

Politics and government.

United States--Foreign relations--1989-.

International relations.

Physical Description:

x, 222 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA : Polity, [2008]

Summary:

"If you want to understand American politics, its origins, development, and contemporary character, this is the book to read. Fabbrini possesses a masterful command of the complexities of the American political order, yet manages to convey them clearly and memorably. Throughout this compact book, he compares and contrasts American politics with West European politics, delivering broader insight into variations among democracies, while distinguishing his own perspectives from those of both America's harshest critics and its most ardent apologists. An enormously engaging and satisfying read." -George Breslauer, University of California, Berkeley

"This is a work of the highest intellectual level. It reflects a mastery of the fields of American politics and of West European comparative politics. The author has the distinctive ability to be a past master of both subjects while retaining a vital critical distance from each. The book is exhaustively researched and clearly presented. After reading it, no American or European will look at the American political system in quite the same way again." -Allen Lynch, University of Virginia

No other country in the world evokes such contrasting sentiments as the United States of America. This is not new, but it has become particularly virulent in recent years. The reason is simple: after the end of the Cold War, America has remained the only superpower in the world. Or rather, it has become a veritable hyperpower without apparent limits to the exercise of its power. The fate of the world lies in large part in its hands. This book analyzes the most widespread criticisms of American democracy - namely, that it is plebiscitary, devoid of voters, unduly favors the rich, and imperial. It shows that these criticisms fail to hit the mark. Yet, even if its vices are fewer and different from what its critics often claim, American democracy cannot be read as an exemplary catalogue of virtues, as its apologists would have it. Resting on contradictions rather than coherence, American democracy cannot be seen as a model and even less as an ideology. Rather, it should be understood as a method.

Clearing away the misunderstandings and prejudices that cloud contemporary debates about America, this book brings out with exceptional clarity the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the American democratic experience. In a century when no country can hope to escape from the influence of American power, it is vital to understand both.

Contents:

1 Anti-Americanism in Europe 1

1.1 Introduction 1

1.2 Anti-Americanism in the European Context 2

1.3 America and the European Left 5

1.4 America and the European Right 9

1.5 America and the European Catholic Center 12

1.6 Misunderstanding America 16

1.7 Conclusion 19

2 A Plebiscitary Democracy? 20

2.1 Introduction 20

2.2 The Origins of Separated Government 23

2.3 Congressional Government 31

2.4 The Crisis of Congressional Government 33

2.5 Presidential Government 37

2.6 The Difficulties of Presidential Government 45

2.7 Conclusion 57

3 A Democracy without the People? 59

3.1 Introduction 59

3.2 The Characteristics of the Electoral System 62

3.3 The Development of the Electoral Process 71

3.4 Why Americans Don't Vote: The Debate 82

3.5 Political Parties from Decline to Transformation? 91

3.6 Conclusion 95

4 A Democracy for the Rich? 98

4.1 Introduction 98

4.2 The American Commercial Republic 101

4.3 The Neoconservative Revolution 114

4.4 The Weakness of the Democrats: The Two Clinton Presidencies 121

4.5 The Anti-politics of the Elites: Term Limits and Recall 125

4.6 The Social Implications of American Liberalism 131

4.7 Conclusion 134

5 An Imperial Democracy? 135

5.1 Introduction 135

5.2 Foreign and Domestic Policy in America 137

5.3 Hegemonic America and the Cold War 142

5.4 The End of the Cold War and the First Gulf War 148

5.5 The 1990s and the Schizophrenic Power 152

5.6 George W. Bush's America and the Second Gulf War 159

5.7 Conclusion 166

6 America as Method 170

6.1 Introduction 170

6.2 American Exceptionalism 170

6.3 The Societal and Institutional Antinomies 174

6.4 Political Change and American Antinomies 178

6.5 America: A Model or a Method? 180

6.6 Conclusion 184.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [187]-211) and index.

ISBN:

0745642500

9780745642505

0745642519

9780745642512

OCLC:

228213963