The Imperial history? Article by Dominic Lieven opens with describing the roots of the current world order; that is the European empire. The Europeans created and enforced the rules within the empires and the first great wave of globalization that ended with World War I. The second wave began after World War II but this time without the help of the empire. During that wave the countries “experienced” some nostalgia for the empire provoked by the failure of some of the ex-colonies as independent states.
After this introduction the author focuses on the imperialistic behavior of the US challenge by September 11th. The US has the needed characteristics to be an empire: it provides public goods, comes in different forms, it is a great power that is crucial to the regional and global order, rules over wide territories and many people, and is not based on the consent of those it governs. All these characteristics empower the US, as well as give it a burden. The author also explains the US’s inability to be a “real” empire due to the unwillingness of the electorates to pay the high price and blood deeded for this cause. Therefore the US is in a constant dilemma that probably has no solution in today’s world and the empire game is not over.
In this article Lievan discusses the question of American hegemony from the historical empire perspective giving a reasoning both for and against the existence of American imperial nature.