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Beyond the "Lessons of Empire"

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How should we make sense of the geostrategic position occupied by the United States? Many view the United States as a unipolar power: a great power that lacks any “peer competitors” capable of directly challenging its position of preeminence. Others treat the United States as a hegemonic power that establishes and enforces broad “rules of the game” that govern relations among other states. Some describe the United States, in contrast, as an informal empire that shapes not only the interactions among other states but also their internal political organization. They argue that American policymakers “cannot ignore the lessons and analogies of imperial history” (Cohen, 2004: 56) and that “an understanding of America as an evolving, if reluctant, modern empire is an important analytic tool with profound consequences that American leaders should understand” (Simes, 2003: 93).

I agree that attention to the dynamics of past empires sheds light on contemporary American foreign-policy dilemmas (see, e.g., MacDonald, 2006; Nexon and Wright, 2007). But I think we should exercise caution about what “lessons of empire” we identify for the United States. Three considerations motivate my concerns. First, historical empires display tremendous variation in their political structures, forms of rule, and legitimating principles. Second, some empires also operated as preeminent powers in unipolar systems, hegemonic political communities, or both. But others operated as one great power among many or even as decidedly minor players in international politics (see Howe, 2002). Third, although analysts provide a sharp analytical distinction between “hegemony” and “empire,” the practices of hegemonic control almost invariably bleed into those of informal empire (Doyle, 1986: 38-45; Lake, 1996: 9).

I start with a critical analysis of the American Empire debate. I next put forth an ideal-typical model of empires and their dynamics. I conclude by reflecting on the degree of American informal empire. However we resolve this debate, it calls attention to the broader task of understanding the “micropolitics of international hierarchy”: how many of the strategic dilemmas of great powers involve the interplay between their asymmetric relations with other states and those states’ “internal” political dynamics.

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empir (84), imperi (59), american (49), state (43), intern (35), power (34), polit (30), relat (30), unit (27), inform (25), control (18), hegemon (17), mani (16), peripheri (15), polici (15), 2006 (13), great (13), new (13), econom (12), core (12), lesson (12),

Author's Keywords:

American Empire, Empire, American Grand Strategy, Hierarchy, International Relations Theory
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Nexon, Daniel. "Beyond the "Lessons of Empire"" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, Chicago, IL, Aug 30, 2007 <Not Available>. 2011-06-08 <http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p210116_index.html>

APA Citation:

Nexon, D. H. , 2007-08-30 "Beyond the "Lessons of Empire"" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, Hyatt Regency Chicago and the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers, Chicago, IL Online <APPLICATION/PDF>. 2011-06-08 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p210116_index.html

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: How should we make sense of the geostrategic position occupied by the United States? Many view the United States as a unipolar power: a great power that lacks any “peer competitors” capable of directly challenging its position of preeminence. Others treat the United States as a hegemonic power that establishes and enforces broad “rules of the game” that govern relations among other states. Some describe the United States, in contrast, as an informal empire that shapes not only the interactions among other states but also their internal political organization. They argue that American policymakers “cannot ignore the lessons and analogies of imperial history” (Cohen, 2004: 56) and that “an understanding of America as an evolving, if reluctant, modern empire is an important analytic tool with profound consequences that American leaders should understand” (Simes, 2003: 93).

I agree that attention to the dynamics of past empires sheds light on contemporary American foreign-policy dilemmas (see, e.g., MacDonald, 2006; Nexon and Wright, 2007). But I think we should exercise caution about what “lessons of empire” we identify for the United States. Three considerations motivate my concerns. First, historical empires display tremendous variation in their political structures, forms of rule, and legitimating principles. Second, some empires also operated as preeminent powers in unipolar systems, hegemonic political communities, or both. But others operated as one great power among many or even as decidedly minor players in international politics (see Howe, 2002). Third, although analysts provide a sharp analytical distinction between “hegemony” and “empire,” the practices of hegemonic control almost invariably bleed into those of informal empire (Doyle, 1986: 38-45; Lake, 1996: 9).

I start with a critical analysis of the American Empire debate. I next put forth an ideal-typical model of empires and their dynamics. I conclude by reflecting on the degree of American informal empire. However we resolve this debate, it calls attention to the broader task of understanding the “micropolitics of international hierarchy”: how many of the strategic dilemmas of great powers involve the interplay between their asymmetric relations with other states and those states’ “internal” political dynamics.

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Document Type: application/pdf
Page count: 15
Word count: 4162
Text sample:
“What’s this then? ‘Romanes Eunt Domus’?”1 Daniel Nexon Department of Government and School of Foreign Service 652 ICC Department of Government Georgetown University Washington DC 20057 dhn2@georgetown.edu Paper presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association Chicago IL August 30-September 2. Please do not cite or quote without my permission. Comments welcome. 1 Quotation from Monty Python’s Life of Brian. How should we make sense of the geostrategic position occupied by the United States? Many
Perspectives 8(2): 137-151. O'Reilly Robert F. (2005). "Veto Points Veto Players and International Trade Policy." Comparative Political Studies 38(6): 652-675. Padgett John F. and Christopher K. Ansell (1993). "Robust Action and the Rise of the Medici 1400-1434." American Journal of Sociology 98(6): 1259-1319. Schmitt Eric and Mark Landler (2004). Cheney Calls for More Unity in Fight Against Terrorism. New York Times. New York: 10. Simes Dimitri (2003). "America's Imperial Dilemma." Foreign Affairs 82(6): 91-100. Snyder Jack (2003). "Imperial Temptation."


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