Synopses & Reviews
From “the worlds leading no-nonsense revolutionary,” a bold and effective analysis of American military, economic, and political vulnerability (Naomi Klein)
The empire seems unassailable, but the empire is weakand precisely because of its quest for global domination. So argues Walden Bello in this provocative portrait of imperial self-destruction, which systematically dissects the dilemmas confronting America as a result of its drive for supremacy.
Puncturing the myth of American invincibility, Bello exposes its carefully concealed contradictions: despite the enormity of the U.S. military apparatus, American forces are critically overextended and ever threatened by the simmering resistance each new “victory” breeds. Though America is still the land of unprecedented prosperity, economic breakdown looms, the consequence of gargantuan military costs, exploitative trade and investment relations with developing countries, and record-breaking deficits.
A clear and prophetic examination, Dilemmas of Domination reveals a not-too-distant future in which the empires hidden weaknesses will yield fatal challenges to American omnipotence.
“With unsentimental clarity, Walden Bello speaks the truth about American empire and why it is doomed by its own contradictions.” William Greider, author of The Soul of Capitalism
Walden Bello, a professor of sociology and public administration at the University of the Philippines, is the author of numerous books on globalization. Also an award-winning peace and human rights activist, he lives in Quezon City. The empire seems unassailable, but the empire is weakand precisely because of its imperial ambitions. So argues Walden Bello in his provocative new book, which systematically dissects the strategic, economic, and political dilemmas confronting America as a consequence of its quest for global domination. An award-winning development expert, Bello punctures the myth of America's invincibility, revealing its carefully concealed contradictions. He shows how, despite the enormity of the U.S. defense budget, American forces are critically overextendeda condition bound to intensify as each local "victory" breeds simmering resistance and new confrontations elsewhere. He points to the empire's looming economic breakdown, the result of its gargantuan military costs, record-breaking deficits, and exploitative trade and investment relations with developing countries. On the political front, he warns of the disillusionment mounting around the world in response to America's failure to champion liberal democracy. Everywhere America goes, crony capitalism, gross inequalities in income, and the hostile coercion of foreign peoples undermine its pretenses of justice and inclusion, leaving embitteredand often violently vengefulpopulations in its wake. A clear and prophetic examination, Dilemmas of Domination reveals a not-too-distant future in which the empire's hidden weaknesses will yield fatal challenges to American supremacy.
"[Bello's] bold critique is laid out clearly and concisely, in a forceful but not strident tone, with writing that is direct and effective . . . Read this book to help spot the things that are worth worrying about and need adjustment, and to stimulate second thoughts about popular American ideological and nationalist prejudices."Patrick Morgan, The San Diego Union-Tribune "[Bello's] bold critique is laid out clearly and concisely, in a forceful but not strident tone, with writing that is direct and effective . . . Read this book to help spot the things that are worth worrying about and need adjustment, and to stimulate second thoughts about popular American ideological and nationalist prejudices."Patrick Morgan, The San Diego Union-Tribune "With unsentimental clarity, Walden Bello speaks the truth about American empire and why it is doomed by its own contradictions."William Greider, author of The Soul of Capitalism "Walden Bello is the world's best guide to American exploitation of the globe's poor and defenselessand the false concepts the U.S. government uses to camouflage its actions. He directly challenges the propaganda and the policies of the Washington establishment with an analysis that is both original and persuasive."Chalmers Johnson, author of The Sorrows of Empire and Blowback "Dilemmas of Domination shows again why Walden Bello is recognized as one of the leading global analysts of the U.S. drive toward empire. His critique of the Afghan and Iraq wars probes the dangers of the Bush administration's militarism yet recognizes the potential of the growing peace movement. His dissection of the Asian dimension is particularly comprehensive and welcome. And, rooting American bellicosity in the corporate-driven trajectory of globalization, Bello's economic analysis remains among the most prescient. A must-read for scholars, activists, and global citizens."Phylliss Bennis, fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies and author of Before & After: U.S. Foreign Policy and the September 11 Crisis "Cherish the American imperium while ye may, o Neocons, for its days and yours are numbered. So, resonantly and assuredly, declares Bello, who courted controversy after 9/11 with an op-ed piece asserting that the attacks were motivated by a widely shared sense of injustice and moral outrage in the world. Revisiting that argument, Bello adds this note: Because U.S. policy in the Middle East subordinates the needs of people to strategic and economic interests, and because U.S. policy is bound so closely to Israel, 'there will always be thousands of recruits for acts of terrorism.' And not just in the Middle East. Despite Bush administration rhetoric, Bello argues, Afghanistan is a failed state in the making; Iraq a fait accompli defeat that only needs time to unfold; Latin America has become radicalized against the U.S. anew, thanks largely to the mishandling of Iraq; the Southern Hemisphere increasingly demands economic autonomy; East Asia is prepared to ditch the U.S. and align itself with an emergent China; and, as 'China injects a new diplomatic dynamic into East Asian affairs, the United States may no longer be able to maintain military bases in South Korea and Japan.' Moreover, China's economy will grow as America's will shrink, causing stagnation and recession, if not depression, while the rest of the world will see that resisting the U.S. pays dividends of other kinds. And that's all to the good, Bello argues; not only will there be an increase in the power of other people to decide their own fates, but America will be helped to regain its former glory as a democratic republic without global ambitions. That last is perhaps too fond a hope, but, Bello adds, 'If the Romans were around today, they would say that this is no way to run an empire.' Provocative and useful as a gauge of what much of the outside world is saying about us. And it isn't nice."Kirkus Reviews "Bello is best known as a prolific critic of corporate globalization, deeply concerned about the global South's vulnerability to the injustices of unrestrained neoliberal capitalism. In this book, however, his focus is
Review
"Walden Bello is the world's best guide to American exploitation of the globe's poor and defenseless - and the false concepts the U.S. government uses to camouflage its actions. He directly challenges the propaganda and the policies of the Washington establishment with an analysis that is both original and persuasive."
-- Chalmers Johnson, author of The Sorrows of Empire and Blowback
"Dilemmas of Domination shows again why Walden Bello is recognized as one of the global South's - and the world's - leading analysts of the U.S. drive towards empire. His critique of the Afghan and Iraq wars is both sobering and encouraging, probing the dangers for the world in the Bush administration's militarism while recognizing the potential of the growing global peace movement. Bello's dissection of the Asian dimension is particularly comprehensive and welcome. And, rooting the U.S. drive towards war in the corporate-driven trajectory of globalization, Bello's economic critique remains among the most prescient. A must read for scholars, activists, and global citizens."
-- Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies fellow and author of Before & After: U.S. Foreign Policy and the September 11 Crisis
Synopsis
From "the world's leading no-nonsense revolutionary," a bold and effective analysis of American military, economic, and political vulnerability (Naomi Klein)
The empire seems unassailable, but the empire is weak--and precisely because of its quest for global domination. So argues Walden Bello in this provocative portrait of imperial self-destruction, which systematically dissects the dilemmas confronting America as a result of its drive for supremacy.
Puncturing the myth of American invincibility, Bello exposes its carefully concealed contradictions: despite the enormity of the U.S. military apparatus, American forces are critically overextended and ever threatened by the simmering resistance each new "victory" breeds. Though America is still the land of unprecedented prosperity, economic breakdown looms, the consequence of gargantuan military costs, exploitative trade and investment relations with developing countries, and record-breaking deficits.
A clear and prophetic examination, Dilemmas of Domination reveals a not-too-distant future in which the empire's hidden weaknesses will yield fatal challenges to American omnipotence.
"With unsentimental clarity, Walden Bello speaks the truth about American empire and why it is doomed by its own contradictions." --William Greider, author of The Soul of Capitalism
About the Author
Walden Bello, a professor of sociology and public administration at the University of the Philippines, is the author of numerous books on globalization. An award-winning peace and human rights activist, he lives in Quezon City.