Haven't read through this book entirely, but it's still interesting nevertheless. Manent is probably one of the great political thinkers alive today.
Quote:
A World beyond Politics?
A Defense of the Nation-State
Pierre Manent
Translated by Marc LePain
We live in the grip of a great illusion about politics, Pierre Manent argues in A World beyond Politics? It's the illusion that we would be better off without politics--at least national politics, and perhaps all politics. It is a fantasy that if democratic values could somehow detach themselves from their traditional national context, we could enter a world of pure democracy, where human society would be ruled solely according to law and morality. Borders would dissolve in unconditional internationalism and nations would collapse into supranational organizations such as the European Union. Free of the limits and sins of politics, we could finally attain the true life.
In contrast to these beliefs, which are especially widespread in Europe, Manent argues that the political order is the key to the human order. Human life, in order to have force and meaning, must be concentrated in a particular political community, in which decisions are made through collective, creative debate. The best such community for democratic life, he argues, is still the nation-state.
Following the example of nineteenth-century political philosophers such as Alexis de Tocqueville and John Stuart Mill, Manent first describes a few essential features of democracy and the nation-state, and then shows how these characteristics illuminate many aspects of our present political circumstances. He ends by arguing that both democracy and the nation-state are under threat--from apolitical tendencies such as the cult of international commerce and attempts to replace democratic decisions with judicial procedures.
Pierre Manent teaches political philosophy at L'École des Hautes Études en Science Sociales in Paris. His books include An Intellectual History of Liberalism and The City of Man (both Princeton).
Manent, P.; LePain, M.A., trans.: A World beyond Politics? A Defense of the Nation-State.
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We clearly see this notion of
trenscending politics at play here in America with the rhetoric of Barrack Obama. Not only does he and his followers claim that he's somehow above petty political disputes, but Obama's whole foreign policy is based around the notion of that America's interests are linked to the interests of everybody else around the world.
The problem with this notion is that it's based upon a rather abstract concepts and understandings of international relations, which essentially means nations and communities have little say in how to actually govern themselves.
Self-government is a vital aspect of democracy in any true sense of the word. It's built upon the notion that democracy moves from the grassroots up, and cannot be imposed from the top down.
I disagree with Manent that the nation-state is the best form for maintaining democracy. If anything, the logic of supranational entities like the European Union, NAFTA, UN, etc is just a natural continuation of the notion of nationalism. The nation-state was largely created through the suppression of the traditional autonomy of local communities.
Oh well, that's just my rambling two cents for now.