The Nation-States: Concert or Chaos.

• Author: Gottfried, Paul
• Position: Book Review

The Nation-States: Concert or Chaos By Richard Lee Hough Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, 2003. Pp. xiii, 138. $25.00 paperback.

Richard Lee Hough seems well prepared for this concise study of the nation-state and its connection to both international institutions and the growing U.S. empire. As a retired U.S. foreign-service officer who has worked in the Third World and a visiting faculty member at distinguished U.S. universities, Hough brings to his work the benefits of professional experience. His examination of international-trade organizations and of the International Criminal Court shows extensive knowledge of their workings, knowledge that is undoubtedly related to the work he has left behind. He has done considerable reading in the history of the European state system, which is apparent from his learned references. (We shall indulge him the oversimplified view of the two world wars as caused by Germany's unique "primitive nationalism" [p. 16].) Such reading is reflected in his commentary on what is still relevant about the nation-state as a basic political unit. Finally, Hough's criticisms of turning the U.S. "unrivaled power" into a justification for "unilateralism" should please those who question the wisdom of the present U.S. mission to bring "democracy" to the heathens, no matter what the rest of the world wants or thinks. Hough's admonitions should resonate well among most of his readers, assuming that they are not devotees of Fox News or attached to the misnamed American conservative movement.

Having said all this, I should note what is wrong with The Nation-States. Hough's central contention, about the imbalance that exists between overreaching nationalists and the efforts being made to achieve an international order, entails a doubtful proposition if one looks at the Western world. From Hough's account, the main danger facing Euro-American countries--but one that he concedes is more of a problem elsewhere--is that nationalism and unilateralism are overriding the need for international agencies to decide matters of global concern. And the U.S. refusal to bow to international courts, environmental agencies, and United Nations resolutions consistently enough has encouraged similar defiance from smaller countries. Why should these countries uphold environmental and other standards that the world's leading empire is openly flouting?

Hough makes these charges while also asserting that "the nation-state is the core unit of...