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THE EMPIRE HAS NO CLOTHES (UPDATED EDITION)
U.S. Foreign Policy Exposed
By
Ivan Eland
Most Americans don’t think of their government as an empire, but in fact the United States has been steadily expanding its control of overseas territories since the turn of the twentieth century. Now, through political intimidation and more than 700 military bases worldwide, the U.S. holds sway over an area that dwarfs the great empires of world history.
Eland shows that the concept of empire is wholly contrary to the principles of both liberals and conservatives and that it makes a mockery of the Founding Fathers’ vision for a free republic. Eland also warns that in recent years, “blowback” and the enormous expansion of domestic federal power resulting from this overextended empire have begun to threaten the American homeland itself and curtail the very liberties these interventions were meant to protect.
The author delivers a penetrating argument which exposes the imperial motives behind interventionist U.S. policy and questions the historical assumptions on which it is based.
Detailed Summary |
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Table of Contents 1. Introduction: History of the U.S. Empire
2. Does the United States Really Have an Empire?
3. Why Conservatives Should Be Against Empire
4. Why Liberals Should Be Against Empire
5. Why All Americans Should Be Against Empire
6. An Appropriate Foreign Policy for the Modern Age
7. Conclusion
Notes
Index
About the Author
Praise for The Empire Has No Clothes (Updated Edition) “This book is the sobering antidote for the imperial wine that has impaired the judgment of American politicians, Republican and Democrats alike, since the end of the Cold War.”
—HARVEY M. SAPOLSKY, Professor of Political Science and Director of Security Studies, MIT
“Eland states that the U.S. has pursued an ever-expanding empire from the beginning of the 20th century, and he emphasizes the present dangers of this policy to U.S. national security, civil liberties, and democracy. This is definitely a book worth reading.”
—CHOICE
“Dr. Eland makes a persuasive case that current U.S. national security policy is contrary to the principles of both liberals and conservatives and is actually undermining our security and civil liberties.”
—LAWRENCE J. KORB, former Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Defense
“Ivan Eland said that Iraq would be a debacle before the war began. In his terrific new book, he explains in detail why Iraq and the pursuit of empire will make the United States less safe in the years ahead. Hopefully, more Americans will listen to him now—before we get ourselves into even more trouble at home and abroad.”
—JOHN J. MEARSHEIMER, Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago
“The Empire Has No Clothes offers a powerful and persuasive critique of recent U.S. foreign policy. It deserves the thoughtful attention of conservatives and liberals alike—indeed, of all Americans disturbed by the imperial pretensions evident in Washington since the end of the Cold War.”
—ANDREW J. BACEVICH, Professor of International Relations, Boston University
“Victory in the Cold War eliminated the danger that another superpower or ideology could take over the rest of the world. Yet the United States still tries to run the world as much as it ever did. Eland’s book is a sober, hard-hitting critique of this anomaly and a cogent brief for why liberals and conservatives together should reject an imperial role for America.”
—RICHARD BETTS, Director, Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University
“The Empire Has No Clothes is a comprehensive history of American imperialism, including a balanced treatment of various schools and definitions of imperialism as used by scholars, politicians, and pundits. . . . [It] should greatly influence the debate in this country about how to restore a constitutional foreign policy. Read this book.”
—CHALMERS JOHNSON, Author, The Sorrows of Empire and Blowback; President, Japan Policy Research Institute
"The Empire Has No Clothes is an extremely sensible book. I agree with Eland’s argument, though I doubt if it will be much appreciated by Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Perle."
—PAUL M. KENNEDY, Dilworth Professor of History and Director of International Security Studies, Yale University
“Ivan Eland’s new book would make an excellent initial reading for any college class focusing on current foreign affairs and diplomacy. The Empire Has No Clothes is clearly written. It looks at foreign policy from both conservative and liberal approaches, raises major historical and philosophical issues, and delivers a powerful warning about the dangers of empire.”
—CHARLESTON GAZETTE-MAIL
“Ivan Eland’s new book is a scholarly, compelling and provocative study of where we are, how we got here, and the dangers inherent in the aggressive, imperialist policies we are implementing. It is impressively lucid, filled with careful research, rational analysis and highly insightful commentary, certain to satisfy concerned readers across the political spectrum.”
—EDWARD L. PECK, former Chief of U.S. Mission in Iraq, former U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania
“Focusing on the post–Cold War period, Eland brings together the American actions in Kosovo and Gulf Wars I & II in a discussion of the ways in which our ‘nation-building’ has become a new form of empire. And what was disastrous for other ambitious world powers going back to Rome, he suggests, will fall upon us—sooner than we think. The heart of the book, moreover, are the chapters showing how both liberals and conservatives need to rethink their positions, and join in an effort to challenge the empire on grounds of self-interest. It is a great book!”
—LLOYD C. GARDNER, Charles and Mary Beard Professor of History, Rutgers University
“One of the best recent discussions comes from Ivan Eland. The Empire Has No Clothes begins with a careful definition of empire and informed discussion of empires of the past, concluding that America really does have an empire, whether its people really want one or not. Highly recommended.”
—ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
“An eloquent and well-researched argument that very much needs to be heard, contending that Americans have become ensnared in an imperialism of which they are largely unaware, and of which they should disapprove. The book will play an important role in structuring a major debate about American foreign policy.”
—GEORGE H. QUESTER, Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland
“Ivan Eland’s provocative and well-researched critique of America’s interventionist foreign policy makes a powerful case for returning to the practical principles of the Founding Fathers. With convincing examples that range across history, he clearly demonstrates that our current democratic empire is a dangerous oxymoron.”
—MELVIN SMALL, Distinguished Professor of History, Wayne State University
“Think a U.S. empire is desirable and viable? Read Ivan Eland’s highly insightful, essential book, and you will change your mind.”
—EDWARD A. OLSEN, Professor of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School
“In The Empire Has No Clothes, Dr. Eland shows that the concept of empire is wholly contrary to the principles of liberals and conservatives alike and makes a mockery of the Founding Fathers’ vision for a free republic.”
—RON PAUL, U.S. Congressman
“The Empire Has No Clothes is a very important book. There are a lot of books out now about empire, but this is probably the most searching and the most provocative. I do hope everyone will read it and spread the word. The debate extends far beyond just the current situation. This book could have been written even if we had not gone to war in Iraq and will pinpoint these issues for everyone.”
—C. BOYDEN GRAY, former Chief Counsel to the President of the United States
“The Empire Has No Clothes is a worthy tome written by Ivan Eland. . . . well documented and well deserved.”
—ASIA TIMES
“As Mr. Eland argues in The Empire Has No Clothes, a book bound to irritate and even enrage, today’s expansive foreign policy is not just unnecessarily expensive—think of hundreds of thousands of troops stationed overseas to protect wealthy allies—but dangerous. . . . Mr. Eland is persuasive. His argument is not a prescription for putting one’s head in the sand. Rather, he recommends that America look before it leaps. There may be no more important lesson for policymakers in today’s often bloody and uncertain world.”
—WASHINGTON TIMES
“Eland offers one of the sharpest critiques of neoconservative foreign policy yet to emerge. . . . His most important argument here is that an interventionist stance makes Americans less secure. . . . Unfortunately, as Eland demonstrates in The Empire Has No Clothes, the president’s misbegotten adventure along the Euphrates has infinitely worsened the problem of terrorism.”
—AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE About the Author Ivan Eland is recognized as one of the leading experts in U.S. defense studies and foreign policy. He is Senior Fellow and Director of the Center on Peace and Liberty at the Independent Institute. He resides in Washington, D.C.
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