Law without Nations?: Why Constitutional Government Requires Sovereign States [Kindle Edition]

Jeremy A. Rabkin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

[A] forceful defense of the virtues of national sovereignty. . . . Law without Nations? is readable and persuasive. -- Thomas Nagel, New Republic

[A] learned and closely-argued book. . . . His argument is rich in scholarship, detail and nuance. -- Peter Berkowitz, Policy Review

Rabkin has skillfully and intrepidly outlined the main problems, including the dangerous embrace of 'soft law' and the hobbling of the right of states to self-defense. . . . [T]he present volume should be required reading. -- Michla Pomerance, Azure

Review

Sovereign powers enable a state to provide essential services to its citizens, as for example: freedom to speak, choose, and elect, a lawful society, and national defense. But these sovereign powers of states have eroded in fact and in intellectual discourse. The time has long passed to push back. Dr. Rabkin does so in this important book.
(George P. Shultz, Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and Secretary of State of the United States 1982-1989 )

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 4011 KB
• Print Length: 360 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (January 24, 2005)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• ASIN: B001BSFPDC
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,434 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "By our own lights", February 23, 2007

By 

A. Aure - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Law without Nations?: Why Constitutional Government Requires Sovereign States (Paperback)

This is a thorough analysis of the relationship between trans national ideas and national sovereignty from an American perspective. He holds up current concepts of international affairs to historical and moral philosophical scrutiny.

Rabkin makes a strong case for why America should protect its Constitution and independence and not let its system of government be corrupted and polluted by vague post modernist trans national norms and schemes of global governance. He argues that the ideals of various internationalists are utopian and dangerous. As to their wishful thinking (p. 31): "International organizations will intervene to protect rights - but not by coercion. And advocacy groups will ensure compliance - but not by coercion. And everyone will have rights - but not really."

Rabkin rejects that his scepticism to submitting to various schemes of global governance rests on a "realist" and Hobbesian outlook. The American and classical liberal view is rather the acceptance of the fact that people "do not readily agree on fundamental things and should not have to agree." (p. 270) This is recognized pre-eminently by the American Constitution which was created to protect such pluralism.

This book is an important contribution to a better understanding of why America is and should be sceptic to ineffectual and/or potentially encroaching schemes of global governance.

It does not do Rabkin justice to say he uses sarcasm as substitute for argument, as the previous reviewer claims. This is a highly serious and scholarly work.

3 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunate and Unhelpful, June 8, 2007

By 

Frank (San Diego) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Law without Nations?: Why Constitutional Government Requires Sovereign States (Paperback)

Rabkin confronts us with an important problem. In an increasingly complex and integrated global political economy, how are we to protect the individual liberties commonly associated with constitutional government? Given the seriousness of the issue, it is genuinely unfortunate that Rabkin gets in his own way with nationalistic rhetoric that approaches xenophobia.

But Rabkin's ideological excesses are worse than simply unfortunate. They are an unhelpful reminder to the rest of humanity that the superior self-image of the ugly American is not only alive and well, but comfortably ensconced in the privileged halls of academe.

For someone with a serious interest in globalization and its political implications, Ann-Marie Slaughter's book, New World Order, is a far more useful place to start. The debate about how we can become masters of our own fate is likely to be a dominant theme as America continues to outgrow its national immaturity. If Rabkin wants to be taken seriously as a participant in that debate he will have to refrain from intellectual bluster and bullying.

5 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Overshadowed by overwhelming bias, January 29, 2007

By 

A. Fricke (Iowa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Law without Nations?: Why Constitutional Government Requires Sovereign States (Hardcover)

This author uses sarcasm to avoid confronting the faults of his argument, dismissing anything that he disagrees with as pure absurdity. Although he presents a decent argument for constitutional govt and the inconsistency with international law it is completely overshadowed by his lack of objectivity. This should not be used at a textbook, but rather a ranting of a right-wing extremist attempting to divert attention from his own political flaws.