With the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United
States' long war on communism was replaced by a perpetual war on
terror. The authors posit that this neo-imperialistic phase is but
the latest development in a line of thought and action established
after World War II. But, they say, 2005 is not 1945. Today, they
argue, the United States uses its power to deplete the resources of
the developing world, and to compel the rest of the world to remain
dependent on American management of the global economy. Contending
that this situation is ultimately untenable, they assert that the
United States is entering a period of deep crisis. The best thing
for American neo-imperialists to do to avert their worst
nightmare—a strategic and economic alliance among Europe, Russia,
China, and OPEC—would be to arrange for the orderly withdrawal of
American power before it is too late for the human and
environmental security of the world. When the Soviet Union
collapsed in 1991, the Cold War slowly gave way to a new world
order in which the United States was left as the lone superpower.
But the organizing principle that would characterize the early 21st
century was as yet unclear, until the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001. Now it is clear that the long war on Communism
has been replaced by a perpetual war on terror. Regardless of how
long American troops remain in Iraq, and irrespective of further
military actions, George W. Bush will continue to be a wartime
president whose foreign policy is dominated by the Pentagon. And
yet, the authors argue, this neo-imperialistic phase, with its
emphasis on Eurasian oil supplies, is but the latest development in
a line of thinking and acting in the world that was established by
such men as Dean Acheson and Paul Nitze after World War II. But
2005 is not 1945, and the United States, despite Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney's
assertions, is not liberating Iraq and Afghanistan in the same way
that U.S. forces liberated Germany and Japan; it is not
reconstructing Iraq or the former Yugoslavia as it did when it
rebuilt war torn western Europe with the Marshall Plan. The United
States, with its thinly stretched military and deficit-laden
economy, does not possess the means to do so today. Instead, the
authors maintain, the United States is simply depleting the
developing world's natural resources, compelling the rest of the
developed world to remain dependent on American management of the
global economy. This situation is ultimately untenable, the authors
argue, and as a result, the United States is entering a period of
deep crisis. The best thing for American neo-imperialists to do to
avert their worst nightmare—a strategic and economic alliance
among Europe, Russia, China, and OPEC—would be to arrange for the
orderly withdrawal of American power before it is too late for the
human and environmental security of the world as a whole.
General
Imprint: |
Praeger Publishers Inc
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Series: |
Praeger Security International |
Release date: |
October 2005 |
First published: |
October 2005 |
Authors: |
Vassilis Fouskas
• Bulent Gokay
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 25mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
272 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-275-98476-2 |
Categories: |
Books
Promotions
|
LSN: |
0-275-98476-1 |
Barcode: |
9780275984762 |
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