An intellectually challenging argument. Neither left- nor right-wing bias.

books:


	• Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire Niall Ferguson PENGUIN BOOKS, 2005 - 416 pages average customer review:based on 18 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An intellectually challenging argument. Neither left- nor right-wing bias.

This book presents a rather revolutionary case for the American Empire. Not only IS America an empire (albeit a reluctant one), America SHOULD be an empire. COLOSSUS is the only book that I'm aware of that makes this case in such a straight forward and blatant manner. Not shying from the term empire (with all of its negative connotations), Niall Ferguson makes a brilliant and convincing case for the benefits of empire. He believes that benefits not only come to the country at the center of the empire, but every country included in the empire. A challenging and highly-interesting book, this one should be read by any who are interested in current affairs, no matter their political leanings.

The first half of the book makes the case that empires are the norm, they are beneficial, and that America should be considered the largest and most influential empire in history. This part of the book is really nothing more than an extensive history lesson, describing the overall history of empire, its effects on various nations, ect. The successes and failures of both the British Empire and the American Empire are described, with a major point being that those countries in which a British or American empirical presence was enduring tend to be better off now than countries who denied empire or never were a part of one. His argument swings primarily on the stabilizing influence of a powerful empire on countries where they can increase confidence in the rule of law and encourage international investment.

In the second half, this book talks about the seemingly imminent collapse of the American Empire. Money, men, and motivation are the three essential ingredients that America is missing if it wants to be successful in its attempts to reshape the world (especially the Middle East) in its image. Money is in short supply for the American Empire because of irresponsible government spending and social commitments that cannot realistically be met (primarily Medicare). Manpower also presents a serious limitation, as America just doesn't have enough intelligent people willing to live a large part of their lives overseas to manage other lands. Finally, the American public does not have the will required for extended overseas commitments and prolonged military deployments. Together, these three deficits most likely mean that America will fail in its attempts to remodel the Middle East and any other area of the world it focuses its attention on.

There is really way too much information and too many interesting ideas expressed in this book for an adequate review, but jut know that this book will provide new insights into the world than you had, and will really make you think about what America's role should be. Extremely well-written and unquestionably intellectually challenging, COLOSSUS is a powerful book that presents a radical-seeming message with clarity and purpose. Highly recommended.

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Powerful, but wishful thinking

Another mighty tour de force from Ferguson, aided by some super smart research helpers at Oxford and Harvard. Following on from his earlier 'Empire', which redressed the balance towards the plus side of the British empire after so much liberal bashing, Ferguson argues that imperial power is not necessarily a bad thing. In particular, a powerful hegemonic power might well be better than no hegemon at all, with global disorder.

Trouble is, America is a self-denying Empire. Even when attacking other sovereign states, its leaders are at pains to stress that this is not old
fashioned imperial warmongering, but a new democratic humanitarian aim.

Thickly slathered with literature (Melville, Kipling, Greene and a host of others) and popular culture (Vietnam war movies and even a reference to the Terminator) Ferguson covers a huge swathe of ground. He traces the origins of America's imperial behaviour, from the purchase of Louisiana to the two Iraq wars, the foreign policy failures, times where they succeeded (post WW2 Japan and Germany) and instances where he believes they lost out due to excess caution (Korea, where the bellicose McCarthur was sidelined).

Ferguson wants the USA to flex its muscle more and act as a full manifestation of Truman's global policeman. Trouble is, appetite for US forces fighting in bloody battles in hell holes of the world is at an all time low amongst the US public. As Ferguson admits, bright graduates of Harvard and Yale want to manage hedge funds and MTV, not dusty dirt tracks in the Middle East. In November the US will have a new president, who will find it harder than ever to promote US hard power worldwide against increasing threats from other countries, democratic and non-democratic alike. He warns, like Gibbon's Rome, of imperial decline and decay. Paints a portrait of a slack, obese nation more concerned with petty consumer concerns than defending Enlightenmnent values of humanity.

Ferguson's thesis is well argued and coherent, but modern day Empire runners are few and far between (there is a chap in Afghanistan called Rory Stewart, an Eton educated Scot who is doing well, but he is an exception). Also, American wealth is declining compared with the rest of the world. In the 1970s, it held almost half of the world's GDP, now the figure is under 30%.

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Loved the book, check out the film

I've been a fan of Professor Ferguson for years now and this book was no disappointment. He's got that clear, accessible way to make history fun and engaging. I also loved the book for being written very logically with a strong sense of cause and effect that creates a digestible story. As a fan of history and geo-politics I have been put to sleep many times by experts that had the facts down, but no sense of story telling. Well, that is not the case here. I also liked the way he substantiated every point he's making about the US involvement.
While looking for his other titles I stumbled on "The World Without US" - a documentary where he appears as the main expert. After checking out the trailer at the film website, I got the DVD and it was quite good. It takes the premise of this book a step farther by asking, what would happen should the US withdraw its military completely from the world? I was eager to see Ferguson for the first time, and to my admiration, his screen presence is as much fun as his writing.
The World Without US - With Niall Ferguson

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Well worth a read

I learned more about my own country (USA) in this book than I did at University. Dr. Ferguson is a great writer. The book is well-researched, with lots of new facts that I'd never known.

Niall Ferguson does it again - challenging and interesting

I am becoming more impressed with Niall Ferguson the more I read his work. It is refreshing to see someone with such a strong historical perspective review our country and it's foreign policy issues. I became familiar with Ferguson first after seeing him in documentaries on the BBC. His insight was always clear, informative, and challenging, and that's why I started reading his books.

This is one of his best (if not THE best) book of his so far, and like his others it is challenging and very educational - all the while being very entertaining. I feel he sometimes analyzes America's international/imperial role better than I have, even as I am an American citizen with a love of history. I also appreciate the way he takes to task our modern politically correct aversion to what an empire is, could be, and should be. The word empire has become synonymous with evil in many modern liberal discussions, but isolationism can be just as uncaring, especially when millions are dying needlessly in genocides around the world.

I am not going to go into a whole recap of the book, because that has been done pretty well by the first reviewer at the top of the reviewing page. If you want to see more of Niall Ferguson in documentaries, the first American released documentary featuring him is now out, and i just watched it recently, it's called The World Without US, and it is also informative, challenging, and features Mr Ferguson quite well.The World Without US - With Niall Ferguson

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson ranges across the entire history of America?s foreign entanglements and delves into all the dimensions of American power?military, economic, cultural, and political. The result is a book whose conclusions are as convincing, and troubling, as they are original. Ferguson demonstrates that America has always been an empire in denial and shows the fateful consequences of its special brand of imperialism. He examines the challenges to the United States from its principal rivals, the European Union and China, and offers a compelling analysis of the connection between the country?s domestic economic health and its foreign affairs?the bottom line of imperialism, American style. Colossus is a peerless reckoning with American power that should be read by any thinking citizen of this unspoken empire.

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