ABSTRACT
Introduction The Issues Since the Cold War’s end, the United States has dominated international politics. It is-as international relations scholars put it-a “global hegemon.” Indeed, in recent years in books and articles about U.S. foreign policy it has become commonplace to see the United States described as the most powerful actor on the international stage since the Roman Empire was at its zenith. is doubtless is true. e central question I address is whether the United States should seek to maintain its current primacy in world politics and use this preeminence to construct a new American Empire. At rst blush, this may seem an odd question to ask. Aer all, since the ancient Greek historian ucydides wrote his classic History of the Peloponnesian War, realists have understood that international politics is fundamentally about power. If this is true-and it is-how can it be argued that the United States might possess too much power for its own good?
