The idea of empire, once so effectively used by Ronald Reagan to
discredit the Soviet Union, has recently undergone a strange
rehabilitation in the United States. This process, which started
some years ago, has accelerated markedly since September 11.
References to empire are no longer deployed ironically or in a
tone of warning; the idea has become respectable enough that the
New York Times ran an article describing the enthusiasm it now
evokes in certain circles. It is of some significance that these
circles are not easily identified as being located either on the
right or the left. If there are some on the right who celebrate
the projection of US power, there are others on the left who
believe that the world can only benefit from an ever-increasing
US engagement and intervention abroad; for example, in ethnic
and religious conflicts (such as those in Rwanda and Bosnia), or
in states run by despotic regimes or “rogue” leaders (e.g.,
Iraq). It is on grounds like these that the idea of a new
imperialism has r