March 5, 2005
AN ESPECIALLY UNTIMELY PIECE:
The Stillborn Empire (Patrick J. Buchanan, March 14, 2005, The American Conservative)
Did I miss something? Where did all the “not since Rome” bombast, talk of America’s “benevolent global hegemony,” “Pax Americana,” and the New World Order disappear to? Whatever happened to the “jodhpurs and pith helmets” crowd?Just a year ago, in the Irving Kristol Lecture at the annual AEI dinner, columnist Charles Krauthammer rhapsodized about America’s “global dominion” and our having “acquired the largest seeming empire in the history of the world.”
We have “overwhelming global power,” said Krauthammer. We are history’s “designated custodians of the international system.” When the Soviet Union fell, “something new was born, something utterly new—a unipolar world dominated by a single superpower unchecked by any rival and with decisive reach in every corner of the globe. This is a staggering new development in history, not seen since the fall of Rome. ... Even Rome is no model for what America is today.”
Well, reality does have a way of intruding upon one’s fantasies, and, looking at our world today, it would seem multipolarism is making quite a comeback.
What Mr. Buchanan seems to have missed is that it worked, and now everyone wants on board the Empire. The pole remains liberty, but now the many have joined the one in pushing for it. After all, neocons can hardly be said to have lost the argument when France joins in brow-beating a Ba'athist and the Africans join in democratizing Togo. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 5, 2005 8:07 AM
As someone noted here recently, we're an hegemony, not an empire, which I suppose makes W the Hegemon.
Posted by: David Cohen at March 5, 2005 11:30 AMNot to worry. As long as the MSM has a need for someone Nazi-like to play the role of 'conservative' for the amusement of the Chattering Classes and the Great Unwashed alike, Brown Shirt Buchanan will always have a job.
Posted by: Bart at March 5, 2005 11:31 AMamerica runs a real risk of falling behind europe in the colorful fascist leadership race; a maximum leader gap is opening. buchanan is such a tired old fart knocker, its a wonder he doesn't drool while wheezing out his noxious pronouncements. if dogpatch had a dictator, he would be a lot like pat.
Posted by: cjm at March 5, 2005 6:01 PMWe really don't want an Empire, not in the traditional sense.
We just want to be able to travel, trade with other people, without having to dodge a mob set upon us by some firebrand blaming us for all of the world's ills, from earthquakes to volcanoes to tidal waves to canker sores to athlete's foot...
Posted by: Mikey at March 5, 2005 8:02 PMWe really don't want an Empire, not in the traditional sense.
We just want to be able to travel, trade with other people, without having to dodge a mob set upon us by some firebrand blaming us for all of the world's ills, from earthquakes to volcanoes to tidal waves to canker sores to athlete's foot...
Posted by: Mikey at March 5, 2005 8:03 PM