(2004-03-02) Empire Book Reviews

G John Ikenberry reviews some Empire-related books. Power is often muted or disguised, but when it is exposed and perceived as domination, it inevitably invites response... The current debate over empire is an attempt to make sense of the new unipolar reality... The United States is now caught in a struggle between liberal rule and imperial rule. Both impulses lie deep within the American body politic. But the dangers and costs of running the world as an American empire are great, and the nation's deep faith in the Rule Of Law is undiminished. When all is said and done, Americans are less interested in ruling the world than they are in creating a world of rules.