Dilemmas of domination : the unmaking of the American empire

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Bibliographic Information

Dilemmas of domination : the unmaking of the American empire

Walden Bello

Zed Books, 2005

  • : hbk
  • : pbk

Available at  / 6 libraries

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. [219]-242) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The empire seems unassailable, but the empire is weak - and precisely because of its imperial ambitions. Walden Bello dissects the dilemmas confronting America in its quest for global domination. Despite the enormity of the U.S. defence budget, American forces are already overextended - and will become more so as each local 'victory' breeds simmering resistance. The empire faces looming economic breakdown, the result of its gargantuan military costs, record-breaking budget deficits, and exploitative trade and investment relations. On the political front, bitter disillusionment is spreading in response to America's failure to champion liberal democracy, crony capitalism and gross inequalities of income. Dilemmas of Domination reveals a not-too-distant future in which the empire's hidden weaknesses will yield fatal challenges to American supremacy.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Southern Perspective on the Crisis of Empire Crises of Global Capitalism Central Conflicts Plan of the Book 1. The Road to Baghdad Unilateralism versus Multilateralism: A Useful Distinction? Grand Strategies in U.S. Foreign Policy Bush II and Rollback-Plus 2. Imperial Hubris/Imperial Overextension Stretched Thin Iraq: The Reasons Why Iraq: An Imperial Expedition Unravels Afghanistan: An Ephemeral Victory Strategic Setback for Tel Aviv and Washington Advantage Al Qaeda The End of the Atlantic Alliance Backyard Rebellion Credibility Gap Roman Ruminations 3. Contemporary Capitalism's Classic Crisis Stagnation Sets In From Weak to Strong Dollar Neoliberal Reform Guts Global Demand Excess Capacity and Coerced Competition Finance-Driven Growth Capitalism and Corruption The Bush Recession and the Return of the Weak Dollar The Chinese Conundrum End of the Long Wave? 4. The Ascendancy of Finance Speculation and Global Capitalism The Liberation of Finance Capital Key Features of Contemporary Finance Capital Globalization's Volatile Engine Finance Capital Targets the South Speculative Crises: Three Case Studies The Era of Financial Ascendancy: An Assessment 5. The Economics of Anti-development Completing the Multilateral System Challenge from the South Rolling Back the South Why the WTO? The WTO and the South: A Case Study 6. The South Rises and the North Prevails Revolt in Seattle Recovery in Doha Collapse in Cancun Crisis of Legitimacy of the Bretton Woods System Reform: Promise versus Reality 7. George W. Bush and Rollback Economics Retreat from Globalization Key Economic Policy Thrusts Vendetta Diplomacy and Its Limits Tactical Shift 8. Crisis of Legitimacy The Philippine Paradigm Containment and the Democratic Mission Supporting Repressive Regimes Destabilizing the New Democracies The Crisis of American Democracy The Crisis of the Liberal Order Abu Ghraib and the End of the Moral Mission 9. Conclusion: The Way Forward Decline and Opportunity The Economics of Imperial Decline The Ideological Dilemma Continuing Overstretch Notes Index

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