From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations [Hardcover]

Amitai Etzioni (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1403965358 | ISBN-13: 978-1403965356 | Publication Date: May 14, 2004 | Edition: 1st

Whether one favors the U.S. global projection of force or is horrified by it, the question stands - where do we go from here? What ought to be the new global architecture? Amitai Etzioni follows a third way, drawing on both neoconservative and liberal ideas, in this bold new look at international relations. He argues that a "clash of civilizations" can be avoided and that the new world order need not look like America. Eastern values, including spirituality and moderate Islam, have a legitimate place in the evolving global public philosophy.
Nation-states, Etzioni argues, can no longer attend to rising transnational problems, from SARS to trade in sex slaves to cybercrime. Global civil society does help, but without some kind of global authority, transnational problems will overwhelm us. The building blocks of this new order can be found in the war against terrorism, multilateral attempts at deproliferation, humanitarian interventions and new supranational institutions (e.g., the governance of the Internet). Basic safety, human rights, and global social issues, such as environmental protection, are best solved cooperatively, and Etzioni explores ways of creating global authorities robust enough to handle these issues as he outlines the journey from "empire to community."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Arguing against both what he casts as Francis Fukuyama’s liberal triumphalism and Samuel Huntington’s "clash of civilizations" pessimism, communitarian Etzioni sees the world edging toward a "chemical fusion" of Western individualism and Eastern social authoritarianism. This movement duly demands a transformation of an American "semi-empire" based on military coercion into a world community based on a "new global architecture" of transnational institutions that rely less on force and more on shared interests and values. Etzioni’s turgid disquisitions on such topics as "monofunctional transnational government networks" remain somewhat vague about what the new global regime actually entails. It would definitely not look like the invasion of Iraq, a "Vietnamesque" disaster that he feels has aroused intense worldwide opposition and squandered America’s credibility. But it might look something like the international police and intelligence effort against terrorism and nuclear proliferation, a de facto Global Safety Authority that could be a model for other Authorities governing other world issues like environmental degradation, poverty, sex trafficking and "cybercrime." True to his communitarian instincts, Etzioni insists that the transnational community requires informal but "thick" bonds of shared values and mores; moderate religion will play a leading role, especially a nascent "soft" Islam, which will drive out hard fundamentalist Islam and foster the growth of civil society in the Muslim world. Unfortunately, apart from perfunctory talk of international "moral dialogues," he is vague about how the "global normative synthesis" is to come about. Etzioni’s communitarian formula—not too hawkish, not too dovish, with not too much individualism, not too much social coercion and lots of moral consensus—seems even more nebulous and pat when translated from domestic politics to international relations.
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Review

"Professor Etzioni's new book, From Empire to Community, delivers on its promise of ‘A new approach to international relations.’ There is a wonderful quality to his thinking, such that the visionary and the pragmatic, the very long range and the issues of the moment are all represented, all related, and often (though not always) reconciled in a new synthesis. It is especially refreshing to find that when Professor Etzioni finds that reality will not mesh with theory, facts are acknowledged rather than swept under the rug. This book is not about dogma: it is about the hopeful possibility that an evolving and expanding sense of common need among peoples and nations can with luck and vision, bring about a knitting together of a form of global governance that would permit humankind to address its most urgent issues more effectively: with less sovereign authority for national states as we have known them, but greater freedom, combined with enhanced responsibility for people as individuals and as communities. Professor Etzioni's easy style of writing - clear, elegant but never pretentious - makes the book a pleasure to read: not just an intellectual obligation."--Leon Fuerth, former National Security Advisor to Vice President Al Gore

"In recent years, Amitai Etzioni has been the most powerful and persuasive voice for the human values that can only be cultivated in community. In this new and compelling analysis, he extends his work to the international arena. Few books have spoken more eloquently to the heart of our shared humanity, and in an age of global tension, few have been more necessary. Essential reading for all those concerned with our ever more fragile social ecology."
–Rabbi Professor Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth

"A thoughtful and timely examination of some of the fundamental issues that modern society confronts."
–Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter

“For anyone concerned about the new global challenges and the current implacable trends in international politics and for those preoccupied with how we can bring about the needed fundamental progress, Etzioni’s book is a refreshing contribution of daring thoughts, wisdom, and common sense. By contrasting and blending familiar and well-known institutions with new or exotic concepts, ideas and notions, Etzioni offers new and useful insights. Here, reality is round - not square, and its constituent elements complementary rather than conflicting. It is Thomas Paine conversing with Confucius that comes to one's mind. But the book is vibrantly topical. It underlines the need of the legitimating United Nations also to seek hard power to enforce its resolutions. As an echo of Kant’s Perpetual Peace, Etzioni leads us to the ‘good society’ based on both the Western legal tradition and social duties deriving from moral suasion. Etzioni is a bridge-builder by the grace of God.”
-- Per Stig Møller, Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs

"In From Empire to Community, Amitai Etzioni applies his communitarian approach to international affairs and foreign policy, attacking liberals to his left and neo-conservatives to his right. He offers a provocative and thoughtful alternative to the triumphalism that has dominated recent discussions about the future of American foreign policy. "
-- Joseph S. Nye, author of Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics

"Amitai Etzioni has constructed a coherent communitarian vision of international relations. From Empire to Community is a pioneering work of vital importance to the formation of a new way of international thinking, relevant to policy makers on both sides of the Atlantic. Safeguarding global goods such as security, human rights and environmental protection is becoming increasingly vital in this era of globalization. Amitai Etzioni's new book offers us an inspiring example of the out-of-the-box thinking that is needed to confront these challenges. Etzioni brings new diplomatic challenges into focus, and launches a crucial debate about the sort of world we are leaving to future generations and how we can best manage problems and grasp opportunities, in ways that are deemed legitimate by both American and European societies.
--Dr Jan Peter Balkenende, Prime Minister of the Netherlands

"In this timely and provocative book, Professor Etzioni offers a rich compendium of insights and ideas. His vision of a potential East-West synthesis is particularly compelling. Better still, he is not afraid to tackle the very real challenge of creating genuine institutions to govern a potential global polity. A valuable read for anyone interested in the future of global governance. "
--Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1st edition (May 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1403965358
• ISBN-13: 978-1403965356
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #899,921 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After receiving his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1958, Dr. Amitai Etzioni served as a Professor of Sociology at Columbia University for 20 years; part of that time as the Chairman of the department. He was a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution in 1978 before serving as a Senior Advisor to the White House from 1979-1980. In 1980, Dr. Etzioni was named the first University Professor at The George Washington University, where he is the Director of the Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies. From 1987-1989, he served as the Thomas Henry Carroll Ford Foundation Professor at the Harvard Business School.

Dr. Etzioni served as the president of the American Sociological Association in 1994-95, and in 1989-90 was the founding president of the international Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics. In 1990, he founded the Communitarian Network, a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to shoring up the moral, social and political foundations of society. He was the editor of The Responsive Community: Rights and Responsibilities, the organization's quarterly journal, from 1991-2004. In 1991, the press began referring to Dr. Etzioni as the 'guru' of the communitarian movement.

Dr. Etzioni is the author of numerous books, including The Monochrome Society (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001), The Limits of Privacy (New York: Basic Books, 1999), The New Golden Rule (New York: Basic Books, 1996), which received the Simon Wiesenthal Center's 1997 Tolerance Book Award, The Spirit of Community (New York: Crown Books, 1993), and The Moral Dimension: Toward a New Economics, (New York: Free Press, 1988). His most recent books are My Brother's Keeper: A Memoir and a Message (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003), and From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004).

Outside of academia, Dr. Etzioni's voice is frequently heard in the media.

In 2001, he was named among the top 100 American intellectuals as measured by academic citations in Richard Posner's book, Public Intellectuals: A Study of Decline.

Also in 2001, Dr. Etzioni was awarded the John P. McGovern Award in Behavioral Sciences as well as the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He was also the recipient of the Seventh James Wilbur Award for Extraordinary Contributions to the Appreciation and Advancement of Human Values by the Conference on Value Inquiry, as well as the Sociological Practice Association's Outstanding Contribution Award.

Dr. Etzioni is married and has five sons.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Antidote to Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" Theory, July 10, 2004

By 

Brian Forst (Reston, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations (Hardcover)

You could buy Mr. Lackey's ridiculous harangue of Professor Etzioni's "From Empire to Community" or you could consider the glowing assessments by the likes of former National Security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, Harvard Kennedy School ex-Dean Joseph Nye, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter of Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission Lee Hamilton. Best bet would be to read Etzioni's book yourself. If you do, you'll find a reasonable and perceptive yet accessible account of the foremost international problem facing the United States and how best to deal with it by one of the world's leading scholars, public figures and commentators. Professor Etzioni applies his powerful communitarian thinking to the emerging threat of terrorism and presents thoughtful alternatives to the "bring 'em on" approach that has alienated the U.S. from most of the world and won countless converts to extremist causes. Etzioni's book does not answer all the difficult questions before us. It does open the door for dialogue and mutual understanding among civilizations, and this is an infinitely saner and safer course than that offered by Samuel P. Huntington and others.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought Provoking, October 6, 2004

By 

Danieli - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations (Hardcover)

Etzioni's new book is in effect two books that contradict one another, each with a challenging and novel thesis. The first part argues that Western ideas about rights, autonomy and free markets are merely half of the moral narrative that ought to guide the development of a core of globally shared values. The other half, which the East brings to the table, are concerns for the common good, responsibility and community. He recognizes that these are far from alien concepts to the West, but especially when the USA "exports" values it neglects these "Eastern" values, as well, in recent history, at home. The thesis of an East West value synthesis is worth exploring in face of the arrogance of the West, claiming to have The Truth and treating others as heathens (Bush talks about crusades) and-- the East sense that the common good should guide all. A systensis of East West values does seem to have promise.
In contrast in part 2 From Empire to COMMUNITY , Etzioni makes a case for Western, at least U.S.A. domination. He points out that the U.S.A. has established, after 9/11, a global anti- terrorists police agency, supported by most nations of the world either out of self interest, or a sense that such a agency is needed, is legtimate, or because of American pressure. Etzioni key point is that although born out of might, such an agency make lay the foundation for a global state that can provide for more goods than fighting terrorists (E.g. humanitarian interventions) and a state it may gradually become more democratic. He points out that historical nations born out of force, such as Germany and the UK, became more democratic over time. An even more challenging thesis than the first one.
Thus while the first half deals with moral values, the second is much more grounded in real politics. While the first half plays down the role of the West, the second part is playing it up. One may wish that the true Etzioni stand up but one cannot deny the novelty and possible merit of both abutments.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Global Security Architecture, November 13, 2004

By 

Rowna Sutin "Stewart Sutin" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Empire to Community: A New Approach to International Relations (Hardcover)

Professor Amitai Etzioni's most recent book, "From Empire to Community", offers a thought-provoking commentary on global socio-political trends. The wholistic analytical prism through which Professor Etzioni assesses today's realities and extrapolates to a world in closer harmony breaks through traditional academic silos. Will our world ultimately realize a "legitimate global architecture", as Professor Eztioni suggests? Who knows? But that may not be the point. Rather, the value of this book resides more with its challenge to the reader to consider potentially logical implications of a world in which east-west cultures and values may be coming closer together more than we have understood.
Professor Etzioni conjectures that the world is migrating toward a security-driven global authority, and submits a rather convincing body of evidence in support of this hypothesis. The trend toward political unification in Europe, and the longstanding "sphere of influence" geographical driver of national foreign policy renders it difficult to dismiss this argument out of hand.
Certainly our global connectivity includes communications, capital markets, health, environment, and safety. Professor Etzioni submits that a higher and enduring global political order may emerge from such centripetal forces.
Professor Etzioni's extensive global life experiences, substantive underpinnings and keen mind are consistently in evidence throughout "From Empire to Community". Although one may cite countervailing trends, empirical data and opposing arguments to those submitted by the author, this reader finds high levels of satisfaction resulting from joining Professor Etzioni on his analytical journey. In short, "From Empire to Community" is a must read for those who appreciate a 360 degree commentary on our highly complex socio, political, cultural and
economic enviroment from one of our foremost global thinkers.

Stewart E. Sutin, Ph.D.
President
Community College of Allegheny County