Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire

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.

"Every page of Colossus is provocative." Ernest May

"Amid the seemingly endless writings and decisions about 'America as Empire,' the most prominent recent voice is that of Niall Ferguson." Paul Kennedy, New York Review of Books

"Like his earlier books, Colossus shows off Mr. Ferguson's narrative eacute;lan and his ease in using political, economic and literary references to shore up his arguments about history." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"The erudite and often statistical argument has occasional flashes of wit and may compel liberals to rethink their opposition to intervention, even as it castigates conservatives for their lackluster commitment to nation building." Publishers Weekly

"Discomfiting, highly provocative reading, with ammunition for pro and con alike." Kirkus Reviews

"The core argument of the book — that the world needs an American empire that Americans are unable to provide — is provocative but not convincing." Washington Post

Ferguson (history, Harvard U.) argues that the US is an empire, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. Unfortunately, he contends, it is a bad thing that the US is largely not self-conscious of itself as an empire and is therefore unable to learn from the achievements and failures of past empires and is likely to remain non- self-conscious for the foreseeable future. For the new paperbound edition, Ferguson adds a preface defending the work against some of its critics and considering the implications of the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq for his thesis.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson ranges across the entire history of Americ‛s foreign entanglements and delves into all the dimensions of American power—military, economic, cultural, and political. The result is a book whose conclusions are as convincing, and troubling, as they are original. Ferguson demonstrates that America has always been an empire in denial and shows the fateful consequences of its special brand of imperialism. He examines the challenges to the United States from its principal rivals, the European Union and China, and offers a compelling analysis of the connection between the countr‛s domestic economic health and its foreign affairs—the bottom line of imperialism, American style. Colossus is a peerless reckoning with American power that should be read by any thinking citizen of this unspoken empire.

From one of "Time's" "100 People Who Shape Our World" comes a provocative examination of the American way of empire.

Niall Ferguson is professor of history at Harvard University, senior research fellow of Jesus College, Oxford, and senior fellow of Stanford University's Hoover Institution. His previous books include The Pity of War, The House of Rothschild, The Cash Nexus, and Empire.

Introduction

Part I?Rise
1. The Limits of the American Empire
2. The Imperialism of Anti-Imperialism
3. The Civilization of Clashes
4. Splendid Multilateralism
Part II?Fall?
5. The Case for Liberal Empire
6. Going Home or Organizing Hypocrisy
7. "Impire": Europe Between Brussels and Byzantium
8. The Closing Door

Conclusion: Looking Homeward
Statistical Appendix
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index