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Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire
Contributor(s): Ferguson, Niall (Author)
ISBN: 0143034790     ISBN-13: 9780143034797
Publisher: Penguin Books
OUR PRICE:   $18.00  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: March 2005
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Annotation: From one of "Time's" "100 People Who Shape Our World" comes a provocative examination of the American way of empire.
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Political Science | International Relations - Diplomacy
- Political Science | American Government - General
- Political Science | Political Economy
Dewey: 327.73
LCCN: 2005273083
Physical Information: 1" H x 5.4" W x 8.3" (0.80 lbs) 386 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
From the bestselling author of The Ascent of Money and The Square and the Tower

Is America an empire? Certainly not, according to our government. Despite the conquest of two sovereign states in as many years, despite the presence of more than 750 military installations in two thirds of the world's countries and despite his stated intention to extend the benefits of freedom...to every corner of the world, George W. Bush maintains that America has never been an empire. We don't seek empires, insists Defense Secretary Rumsfeld. We're not imperialistic.

Nonsense, says Niall Ferguson. In Colossus he argues that in both military and economic terms America is nothing less than the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. Just like the British Empire a century ago, the United States aspires to globalize free markets, the rule of law, and representative government. In theory it's a good project, says Ferguson. Yet Americans shy away from the long-term commitments of manpower and money that are indispensable if rogue regimes and failed states really are to be changed for the better. Ours, he argues, is an empire with an attention deficit disorder, imposing ever more unrealistic timescales on its overseas interventions. Worse, it's an empire in denial--a hyperpower that simply refuses to admit the scale of its global responsibilities. And the negative consequences will be felt at home as well as abroad. In an alarmingly persuasive final chapter Ferguson warns that this chronic myopia also applies to our domestic responsibilities. When overstretch comes, he warns, it will come from within--and it will reveal that more than just the feet of the American colossus is made of clay.