DISCUSSION 7A:  RESOLVED -- THE UNITED STATES IS (AND SHOULD BE) AN EMPIRE

INTRODUCTION

"If it quacks like an empire, it probably is an empire."  So contends Oxford and New York University professor Niall Ferguson, author of Empire: The Rise and Demise of British World Order and the Lessons of Global Power.

The main source material for this week's discussion forum is the video of a July 17, 2003 New Atlantic Initiative Debate for the American Enterprise Institute.  The topic: "The United States Is (And Should Be) An Empire."  The British historian Ferguson, insisting that Americans must recognize their own quack, nonetheless calls upon them not to abandon their global commitments but instead to accept the burdens of empire.  Carnegie Endowment for International Peace fellow Robert Kagan instead argues that Americans' reluctance to assume direct control of foreign territories fundamentally (and positively) distinguishes them from conquerors of the past.  The U.S. is not, nor it should be, an empire.

The debate is included in the course for a few reasons.  The subject is an important contemporary issue framed against an historical backdrop.  Moreover, the venue is close to the heart of power in 2003-era Washington.  The think tank that hosted the debate is not an uninfluential player in American foreign policy circles.  Each of the debate participants, meanwhile, is an articulate individual who offers an impressive example of thinking on one's feet.

The link to the transcript for the debate is broken, which is why I am using the video feed.  You are encouraged, though not required, to also read the May 2004 exchange of letters between Ferguson and Kagan in the on-line magazine Slate.

RESOURCES

REQUIRED:

• Niall Ferguson (Affirmative) and Robert Kagan (Opposed), "The United States Is, And Should Be, An Empire: A New Atlantic Initiative Debate," American Enterprise Institute, July 17, 2003.  Click on the Play Video link.

• Niall Ferguson and Robert Kagan, "American Power, Past and Present," Slate, May 4-6, 2004.

• British Empire: Lessons For America, On Point, April 14, 2003.  The British historian Niall Ferguson highlights what the U.S. might learn from the rise and fall of the British Empire.

DISCUSSION FORUM

PRIMARY QUESTION:  The United States is (and should be) an empire.  Discuss.

ASSOCIATED QUESTIONS:  How similar and how different is American power today from the empires of the past?  Is the United States an empire in denial?  If so, what are the consequences of this denial?  How do you respond to Ferguson's claim that an American acceptance of imperial responsibilities could benefit those who live within the U.S. sphere of influence?  How do you respond to his argument that successful empires are built not on coercion but on collaboration?

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