America as empire : global leader or rogue power? / Jim Garrison.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Garrison, Jim, 1951-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Balance of power.

Imperialism.

Imperialism--History.

History.

International relations.

United States--Foreign relations--2001-2009.

United States.

United States--Foreign relations--Moral and ethical aspects.

United States--Foreign relations.

Physical Description:

xii, 224 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

San Francisco : Berret-Koehler Publishers, [2004]

Summary:

America has become not only the strongest nation in the world but the strongest nation in the history of the world. Americans need to understand both why this has happened and what their responsibilities are as the world's dominant power. In this timely and telling book, Jim Garrison, president of the San Francisco-based State of the World Forum, argues that the preoccupation with military expansion is a fatal mistake, citing both FDR and Harry Truman as models for combining military power with institution building. Part of the book is devoted to the Roman empire as another important model, with cautionary lessons about incorporating fairness and respect for other cultures into the governing process. Rome's empire endured for 1,000 years; America's may end far sooner, says Garrison, unless it finds a way to balance might with right. This book provides a blueprint for that balance.

Contents:

Introduction: From Republic to Empire 2

1 America and the World 10

2 A Mighty Fortress on Shifting Sands 24

3 America's Journey to Empire 48

4 The Roots of American Preeminence 72

5 Empire and Its Discontents 92

6 The Rise and Fall of Empires 108

7 The Roman Achievement 128

8 America at the Choice Point 150

9 The Final Empire 166.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-206) and index.

ISBN:

157675281X

OCLC:

52902546