One Nation Under Contract
The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy
Published on 27. October 2009
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-300-15265-4 (ISBN)
Description
A definitive and disturbing look at one of the most important trends in government and global politics: the privatization of American foreign policy and its consequences.
International relations scholar Allison Stanger shows how contractors became an integral part of American foreign policy, often in scandalous ways-but also maintains that contractors aren't the problem; the absence of good government is. Outsourcing done right is, in fact, indispensable to America's interests in the information age.
Stanger makes three arguments.
The outsourcing of U.S. government activities is far greater than most people realize, has been very poorly managed, and has inadvertently militarized American foreign policy;
Despite this mismanagement, public-private partnerships are here to stay, so we had better learn to do them right;
With improved transparency and accountability, these partnerships can significantly extend the reach and effectiveness of U.S. efforts abroad.
The growing use of private contractors predates the Bush Administration, and while his era saw the practice rise to unprecedented levels, Stanger argues that it is both impossible and undesirable to turn back the clock and simply re-absorb all outsourced functions back into government. Through explorations of the evolution of military outsourcing, the privatization of diplomacy, our dysfunctional homeland security apparatus, and the slow death of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Stanger shows that the requisite public-sector expertise to implement foreign policy no longer exists. The successful activities of charities and NGOs, coupled with the growing participation of multinational corporations in development efforts, make a new approach essential. Provocative and far-reaching, One Nation Under Contract presents a bold vision of what that new approach must be.
International relations scholar Allison Stanger shows how contractors became an integral part of American foreign policy, often in scandalous ways-but also maintains that contractors aren't the problem; the absence of good government is. Outsourcing done right is, in fact, indispensable to America's interests in the information age.
Stanger makes three arguments.
The outsourcing of U.S. government activities is far greater than most people realize, has been very poorly managed, and has inadvertently militarized American foreign policy;
Despite this mismanagement, public-private partnerships are here to stay, so we had better learn to do them right;
With improved transparency and accountability, these partnerships can significantly extend the reach and effectiveness of U.S. efforts abroad.
The growing use of private contractors predates the Bush Administration, and while his era saw the practice rise to unprecedented levels, Stanger argues that it is both impossible and undesirable to turn back the clock and simply re-absorb all outsourced functions back into government. Through explorations of the evolution of military outsourcing, the privatization of diplomacy, our dysfunctional homeland security apparatus, and the slow death of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Stanger shows that the requisite public-sector expertise to implement foreign policy no longer exists. The successful activities of charities and NGOs, coupled with the growing participation of multinational corporations in development efforts, make a new approach essential. Provocative and far-reaching, One Nation Under Contract presents a bold vision of what that new approach must be.
Reviews / Votes
"The book aims admirably for both breadth and depth, examining the specifics of private activity in defense, diplomacy, development and security under an intellectual rubric that cuts across all four spheres. This is a fascinating treatment of an important subject." -- Debora Spar, President, Barnard College -- Debora Spar "A superb work on government outsourcing and contracting for those who want to get past the myths and truly understand this hot topic. One Nation Under Contract should be required reading for all those leaders involved in fixing this process in order to get a clear sense and scope of this critical issue." -- General Anthony C. Zinni USMC (Retired) -- General Anthony C. Zinni "Allison Stanger argues that the outsourcing of foreign policy functions as currently practiced is scandalous, but we cannot turn the clock back to top-down government. Smart power requires smart government, and this well reasoned book suggests how better to harness all the networks at our disposal in the information age." -- Joseph S. Nye Jr., Harvard University, author of The Powers to Lead -- Joseph S. Nye "One Nation Under Contract breaks new ground in describing how the emergence of joint ventures between the government and private actors is transforming government accountability and diplomacy." -- Charles MacCormack, CEO, Save the Children -- Charles MacCormack "As governments around the world contract out important tasks to private corporations, Allison Stanger has asked the key question: how do citizens reestablish effective oversight over private-public partnerships? One Nation Under Contract is a clarion call to bring the business of government under more effective public control." -- Michael Ignatieff, Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada -- Michael Ignatieff "Slim but powerfully argued...provocative....By shining a light on what she calls America's 'shadow government,' [Stanger] does us the great favor of triggering a long overdue political debate." -- Thomas P.M. Barnett, World Politics Review -- Thomas P.M. Barnett * World Politics Review * "The real strength of this superb book is not what it reveals, as stunning as that may be, but how well [Stanger] assimilates the changed circumstances of modern-day governance and simply addresses what now must be done....Stanger deserves a gold medal for this book." -- Boston Globe * The Boston Globe * "As we debate how many more troops to dispatch to Afghanistan, it might be a good time to also debate just how far we've already gone in hiring private contractors to do jobs that the State Department, Pentagon and C.I.A. once did on their own. A good place to start is with ...One Nation Under Contract." -- Thomas Friedman, New York Times -- Thomas Friedman * New York Times * Received Merit of Special Recognition for the 2010 Charles H. Levine Memorial Book Prize, given by The International Political Science Association's Research Committee on the Structure of Governance. -- Charles H. Levine Memorial Book Prize * International Political Science Assocation *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Adult education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
7 charts
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 19 mm
Weight
522 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-15265-4 (9780300152654)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Allison Stanger
One Nation Under Contract
The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy
E-Book
10/2009
1st Edition
Yale University Press
€69.49
Available for download
Person
Allison Stanger is Chair of the Political Science Department at Middlebury College.