| ID | 074908 |
| Title Proper | Beyond the American bubble |
| Other Title Information | does empire matter? |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Pieterse, Jan Nederveen |
| Publication | 2006. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | In the 21st century, does empire make sense? From the viewpoint of flexible and increasingly de-territorialised capitalism, does empire matter or is it a costly liability? Are the new wars an expression of US capitalism or do they reflect a US superpower syndrome and path dependence on the national security state? This paper takes the latter view and argues that the superpower syndrome is embedded in the American bubble. Civilian casualty rates in Iraq and Afghanistan are extraordinarily high. This occurs at the confluence of several trends: the USA seeking land power on a distant continent, the tendency to view countries as strategic real estate and the American bubble that leads Americans to underestimate resistance. In closing I draw a balance sheet of whether and how empire matters and briefly address the global realignments that are underway. |
| `In' analytical Note | Third World Quarterly Vol. 27, No. 6; 2006: p987-1002 |
| Journal Source | Third World Quarterly Vol: 27 No 6 |
| Key Words | United States ; War on Terrorism ; Empire ; Afghanistan ; Iraq |