Special Section: The Revival of Empire

Introduction: The Revival of Empire [Full Text] 09/04/03
Our contributors explore the recent historical developments that have made the idea of empire seem perhaps less objectionable after a long period in which it was used as a term of insult or as an argument stopper.

Liberal Empire: Assessing the Arguments [Full Text] 09/16/03
The aim of this essay is not to define empire for all purposes, but to examine the most plausible and, arguably, influential arguments for a new imperial policy, chiefly in the realms of political and military power.
Author(s): Jedediah Purdy

Empire and Moral Identity [Excerpt] 09/11/03
Mehta examines, briefly, whether America is vulnerable to the "corruptions" of empire and the weight we should place on this moral consideration.
Author(s): Pratap Bhanu Mehta

International Justice as Equal Regard and the Use of Force [Abstract] 09/19/03
Have we any obligations beyond our own borders? What form do these take? These questions are addressed through a concept of comparative justice indebted to the just war tradition and the equal moral regard of persons.
Author(s): Jean Bethke Elshtain

The Invisible Hand of the American Empire [Excerpt] 09/11/03
Economic globalization looks like the "powerless" expansion of communications and markets, but allows the United States to harness the rest of the world to its rhythms and fortify its empire-like power. Action by Europe, China, and East Asia is a vent for hope.
Author(s): Robert Hunter Wade

Network Power and Globalization [Excerpt] 09/11/03
With the celebratory view of globalization comes the charge that it represents a kind of empire. But power works in voluntary processes, such as learning English or joining the World Trade Organization. “Network power” may explain the dynamic that drives aspects of globalization.
Author(s): David Singh Grewal