The Americas
| Published date | 01 September 2010 |
| Date | 01 September 2010 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1478-9302.2010.00217_7.x |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
integration into the global political economy,the elites
and the population of Serbia did not meet the eco-
nomic crisis with the belief – so dominant in the rest
of Central and Eastern Europe – that market reform
was the necessary antidote and that systemic change,
both economic and political, was imperative.Thus the
greater degree of economic and political success
enjoyed by socialism inYugoslavia meant that its elimi-
nation as such did not become the focus of the political
struggle. Instead, the hitherto subordinate set of oppo-
sitions between federalist and nationalist principles took
central stage. In fighting this struggle, however, all
actors tended to articulate their positions in the maxi-
malist, radical, uncompromising style characteristic of
the period across Central and Eastern Europe.
In sum, this book is a valuable contribution to
the scholarly literature on the former Yugoslavia, the
fall of communism, regime change and nationalist
mobilisation.
Liliana Pop
(London Metropolitan University)
We welcome short reviews of books in all areas of
politics and international relations. For guidelines
on submitting reviews, and to see an up-to-date
listing of books available for review, please visit
http://www.politicalstudiesreview.org/.
The Americas
Hegemony Constrained: Evasion, Modification,
and Resistance to American Foreign Policy by
Davis B. Bobrow (ed.). Pittsburgh PA: Pittsburgh
University Press, 2008. 334pp., £19.50, ISBN 978 0
8229 5982 3
In this book Bobrow and company seek to explain and
delineate the possible political approaches that states may
take within an international system dominated by the
United States.As the editor explains, ‘This volume goes
beyond those widely recognisedpossibilities to explore a
more complex and nuanced set of options,related goals,
and their implications for the United States’ (p. 2).
With its inception as a policy alternative to George
W. Bush’s foreign policy, the book covers wide geo-
graphical and subject areas. While some chapters con-
centrate their efforts on particular countries – notably
Germany, China and Turkey – other chapters concen-
trate on the geopolitics of missile defence, international
trade regimes, global warming policy and international
public opinion. The empir ical data and narratives in
these chapters cannot be faulted, though the same is
not true for the book’s theoretical overview.
The book aims to provide an understanding and
explanation of how state and non-state actors seek to
interact with the global hegemony while also trying to
balance their own self-interest(s). It attempts to stratify
and classify the responses of state and non-state actors
into types of fellowship and non-fellowship to the US
hegemon. Consequently, it assumes the central role of
the US within global affairs, referring to those who
seek an alternative to this outside the framework of US
power as ‘craziness and martyrdom’ (p. 12). This book
proffers an American-centric world view writ large.
Indeed, this is the intent of the authors.As such, it does
not try to understand counter-hegemonic forces in
order to enable the empowerment of oppressed or
suppressed groups within the international system or
internally within states. Rather, it does so in order to
maintain US hegemonic control via a Pax Americana
of sorts. While this does offer a more progressive
foreign policy than that of the George W. Bush admin-
istration, that is not a difficult task.
The value of this work lies in the insight it offers
into the mindset of neo-realist US policy makers and
academic circles. As such, while not being suitable as a
primary text for undergraduate students, it provides
suitable reading for graduates and scholars to gain a
deeper understanding of the paradigm in which the
hegemon operates in the international system.
Colin John Campbell
(University of Liverpool)
Presidential Constitutionalism in Perilous
Times by Scott M. Matheson Jr. London: Harvard
University Press, 2009. 235pp., £33.95, ISBN 978
0 674 03161 6
Presidential Constitutionalism in Perilous Times provides
a fascinating discussion of executive power and
constitutionalism through an examination of various
constitutional perspectives, ranging from executive
supremacy to judicial review, and through an applica-
tion of these framing views to the presidencies of
BOOK REVIEWS 435
© 2010 TheAuthors. Journal compilation © 2010 Political Studies Association
Political Studies Review: 2010, 8(3)
To continue reading
Request your trial