ABSTRACT

In the wake of 9/11 the language and conduct of American politics changed markedly. A steam of articles and books now recommended imperialism: “the logic of neoimperialism is too compelling for the Bush administration to resist . . . a new imperial moment has arrived.”1 Robert Kaplan called for Warrior Politics and militant foreign policy. Michael Ignatieff deemed American imperialism necessary. Robert Cooper, a senior British diplomat, argued that in addition to “voluntary imperialism” through the IMF and World Bank,“What is needed is a new kind of imperialism, one compatible with human rights and cosmopolitan values,” which he generously referred to as the “export of stability.”2 Until recently imperialism was a left-wing term, but now empire has become a mainstream theme and makes a comeback in everyday language.3 In this climate, past empires are revisited and whitewashed.4