The imperial tense : prospects and problems of American empire / edited with an introduction by Andrew J. Bacevich.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

I. Back to an Imperial Future? -- America's Responsibility, America's Mission / George W. Bush -- Liberal Imperialism / David Rieff -- In Defense of Empires / Deepak Lal -- The Unipolar Era / Charles Krauthammer -- America's Driver for World Domination / David North -- II. The Nature of American Empire -- The New Rome / Peter Bender -- New Rome, New Jerusalem / Andrew J. Bacevich -- Universal Nation / Jedediah Purdy -- Playground Bully / David Marquand -- In Search of Absolute Security / James Chace -- An Empire Unlike Any Other / Martin Walker -- What Empire? / Victor Davis Hanson -- III. Imperial Strategies -- Sovereignty, Empire, Capital, and Terror / John Milbank -- Sheriff and Missionary / Stanley Hoffmann -- Imperial Ambitions / G. John Ikenberry -- Imperial Limits / Charles S. Maier -- Imperial Choices / Stephen Peter Rosen -- IV. Imperial Prospects -- A Citizen's Response / Wendell Berry -- The Empire's Coming Crisis / Gabriel Ash -- Who Will Do the Dirty Work? / James Kurth.

Does the United States today preside over a global empire? America's emergence as the world's dominant power in the 1990s nurtured the perception{u2014}initially more pronounced abroad than at home{u2014}that with the passing of the cold war the United States had indeed become an imperial republic. Some observers, convinced that American power is necessarily benign, welcome that new reality. Others are not so sure. In The Imperial Tense, Andrew Bacevich has drawn together a stimulating collection of arguments on a subject of compelling current importance. Since September 11 and the ensuing 2war on terror,3 President Bush's sweeping rhetoric and national security strategy has affirmed the imperial nature of American foreign policy, provoking concerns over where those ambitions may lead. What is the nature and scope of the American empire? What are its prospects and challenges? Is American power adequate for the task of managing a global imperium? And what of will{u2014}are the American people prepared to pay the price that the preservation of that empire may demand? The Imperial Tense offers cogent reflections on these and related questions by leading scholars and commentators, including Mr. Bacevich (who has also written the Introduction), James Chace, Stanley Hoffmann, Charles Krauthammer, Charles Maier, David Rieff, Deepak Lal, John Milbank, Jonathan Freedland, Peter Bender, Martin Walker, Perry Anderson, Jedediah Purdy, G. John Ikenberry, Stephen Books, William Wohlworth, David Marquand, David North, Gabriel Ash, Ivan Eland, and Victor Davis Hanson.