Detensive Nation: From Regulation to Leadership (Paperback)

~ Ronald R. Cooke (Author)
Key Phrases: detensive nation, peak oil, smart growth, United States, Middle East, Saudi Arabia (more...)

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Product Description

Our intensive consumption of oil, natural gas, coal, arable land, fresh water, minerals, and all the products of a sophisticated industrial economy is not sustainable. That means we humans will transition to a detensive Cultural EcoSystem. Every nation. Every culture. We shall learn to do more, with less. For those of us who live in an industrialized nation, the associated lifestyle change will be traumatic.

We can either try to manage a "soft landing" or let nature take its course. Constructive transformation must include the reformation of government institutions, the adoption of new lifestyles, and a restructuring of community life.

Detensive Nation, explores what is driving this transition, the challenges of lifestyle change, and the how government institutions can play a positive, constructive, and proactive role in redefining our Cultural EcoSystem. It describes the kind of government we will need, questions if existing institutions can survive, and then asks a key question:

who will lead us?

These are crucial election year issues for candidates at all levels of government. Detensive Nation lays out a practical strategic plan for community, state and national transformation. Success is possible if we have the collective will. Government must evolve from an institution that restricts human behavior, to one that encourages a sustainable lifestyle. From reactive to proactive. From negative to constructive.

From regulation to leadership.

From the Author

Over the years I have worked with over 250 companies, large and small, on a wide range of projects. It has always seemed to me that successful companies were able to focus their human resources on business objectives. On the other hand, no matter how good they looked on paper, companies besieged by internal political squabbles eventually failed.

Governments are no different. Leadership and good management usually lead to success. Poor management leads to divisive confrontation. Followed by failure. Government is, after all, a business. Given a reasonable EcoSystem, it is effective management - not ideology - that makes government a functional success.

Hence the motivation for this book. I wanted to describe the EcoSystem elements that are driving us inexorably toward radical lifestyle change, and to propose a few ideas on how government can facilitate community transformation.

Resource depletion will change the role of government. Success demands positive, constructive, and proactive action for the benefit of those who are governed. That means leadership. Effective management. Human compassion. Social cooperation. And we will be looking for these qualities at all levels of government - Federal, State, Regional, County, and Local.

In Detensive Nation you will find some answers. But I do not pretend it describes the perfect solution. Indeed, I have doubts if all my ideas are practical. Rather, I like to think of this book as a starting point for an active discussion of our future. What kind of government do we want? And how do we get it in place?

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (September 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 141967482X
• ISBN-13: 978-1419674822
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,056,173 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)