WHAT MAKES AN EMPIRE AN EMPIRE? You say “empire,” I say “hegemony”… what’s the difference? What makes an empire?: Multi-ethnic blocs of territory brought together by force Hierarchy and unequal status Maintained by force as a last resort: economic dependence through monopoly, divide & conquer, & institutions Mobilizing at home: Missions of cultural, racial, and religious superiority Intl. aggression & dual standards: Claims of manifest destiny and obligations to spread “civilization”

IS AMERICA AN EMPIRE? THE CASE AGAINST Is this another one of those conservative vs. liberal things? Do we have imperialistic ideology? We don’t even like our own government Isn’t the US is institutionally-designed to limit imperialist urges. Are any of “our” territories held against their will? Pax Americana: Is there such a thing as a noble empire? Did our empire slipped away with Vietnam and then disappear with the collapse of USSR as a counter empire? (look at how we behave in Iraq) Globalization subjects all states to the same forces, and the US is a “consensual” leader among almost equals What is the true nature of America’s hold on power? Soft, sticky, or hard?

IS AMERICA AN EMPIRE? MAYBE The range of US interventions, : -More than 40 coup attempts -More than 30 mvts. put down -25 countries bombed -750 foreign bases in 130 countries Washington’s hawks are a constant: From the Cold Warriors to the NeoCons A constant war economy: More than half of global defense spending A formal insistence in superiority in all dimensions of force and a stated commitment to remain as such with capability on multiple dyads Is globalization centrally linked to the perpetual supremacy of the American economy, culture, technology and ideology? A key fact: the US is richer, more innovative, and more powerful relative to other great powers than was the case in 1991 Is there a new “White man’s burden”? Our continued obsession with telling the Middle East and Asia how they should live… What does everyone else think about this? Institutionalization of American goals through IGOs

EVEN IF THE US IS AN EMPIRE, IS THAT ALL BAD? Why do empires fall and what happens next? Would the world be better off without us? What’s the alternative for leadership? If not us, then who will lead the world?: Europe, China, India, a Caliphate? How about no leader at all… Thinking about democratization of the state as an example. – Would apolarity or multipolarity be better? Probably not because no empire creates a power vacuum Ikenberry’s defense of American hegemony on its own merits

LOOKING AHEAD: IS THE US FALLING BEHIND? Overall quality of life measures: #10 and falling; Life expectancy: 27 th; ; Infant mortality: 33 rd ; Deaths of children under 5: 37th Math and Science: 15 yr olds rank 25 th and 17 th College graduation?: 12 th in the world and this was before the collapse. Research and development spending? #11 and very inefficient (politics); there are particular collective action issues with basic science (the time- line and public goods problem that lies with relying on both VC and political disbursements) Tax rates: lowest in the industrial world along with Japan (this may be good news, but it reflects a more profound attitudinal issue) Inequality, lawyers per capita, incarceration rates, executions, and hand- gun deaths: At least we’re number 1 at something (although we’re still #2 at carbon consumption) Enough founder worship already: Why is our political system so weak at dealing with this? American exceptionalism, 2-party systems, and veto points (And campaign finance means things will get worse)