Who Speaks for America?: Why Democracy Matters in Foreign Policy

Alterman (senior fellow at the World Policy Institute and a columnist at the Nation) marshals history, polemic and policy prescription into a plea to ""transform American politics into a truly democratic endeavor."" Alterman describes how the Founders' belief in public deliberation and limited foreign entanglements gave way to a dominant executive and a ""national security"" state impervious to public scrutiny. In this ""New World Order,"" the president--not Congress--wields the power to make war, and American environmental policy can be determined by unelected bureaucrats at the World Trade Organization, while the media perpetuate a ""pseudodemocracy"" of sound bytes and images. Far from being truly democratic, American foreign policy has become the exclusive province of an ""elite"" of pundits, corporations, ethnic lobbies and think tanks. To democratize American foreign policy, Alterman proposes electing ""citizen juries"" reflecting the class, gender and ethnic diversity of the population, who would conduct televised hearings with policymakers and deliberate about various international issues. At first their role would be solely educational, but ""over time... the system could gradually transfer key components of the making of U.S. foreign policy to the jury."" Such a process would lead to a foreign policy more reflective of the values of the American people, a stronger role for the United Nations, free trade linked with workers' rights and an end to covert action and U.S. support for repressive dictatorships. This is an accessible book that makes a carefully argued indictment of the foreign policy-making process. (Oct.)