The essay Imperial History? by Dominic Lieven begins with a very strong statement insisting that “the current world order is heir to the European empire,” then continues by saying that America and Australasia were greatly influenced by Europe, especially England. This is why the English language as well as English political ideas and culture are so prominent throughout the world today. The article states that the European empire created the global economic system and the first disrupt of this system, referred to as globalization, occurred in 1914, the beginning of WWI. The leading figures in the European empire were Jewish and as globalization causes resentment in some, resentment in turn caused feelings of anti-Semitism
The second phase of globalization occurred after 1945 under US leadership. There was no empire this time to lead which decades later caused a certain nostalgia for empire which was and still is exemplified by the US and Britain. In Britain, a museum, a television series and a book have been created to show that the British Empire “did a rather good job.” Also, most ex-colonies (except for Korea and Taiwan) have failed as independent states; another cause for the renewal in the interest of empire. In the US, the belief that only democracy plays a peaceful role in international affairs and the fact that most Americans believe their own ideologies and values are superior to the rest of the world are traits often associated with empire.
America before September 11 can be viewed as an empire because it dominated the current liberal-democratic and liberal-capitalist world order. However, September 11 challenged this order, causing imperial security to be a predominant part in the government’s agenda. The main reason why the European empires collapsed after 1945 was because true empire demands blood and money. This presents a dilemma for the US. Because the US is not run by an authoritarian regime, it will be very difficult to present a strong enough case where people would be willing pay to sustain the empire.