Overview

"Since the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, traditional American foreign policy has proven inadequate to 21st Century challenges of Islamic terrorism and globalization. In this ground-breaking analysis, author James Kurth explains that the roots of America's current foreign policy crisis lie in contradictions of an American empire which attempted to transform traditional American national interests promoted by Presidents like Teddy Roosevelt and FDR into a new American-led global order that has unsucessfully attempted to promote supposedly universal, rather than uniquely American, ideals. Kurth dates the creation of the American empire to the morning of September 2nd, 1945, when General Douglas MacArthur, at the head of the representatives of the Allied Forces, received the surrender of the representatives of the Empire of Japan. And so, the book begins, on its front cover, with a depiction of the moment when the American Empire, and the ""American Century,"" were born..."

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9781733117807

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Reviews

When it comes to deciphering the mysteries and contradictions of American statecraft, no one holds a candle to James Kurth. Let me emphasize that: No one. For nigh on a half-century, he has been a source of insight and wisdom on all matters related to U.S. foreign policy. The appearance of The American Way of Empire is, therefore, cause for gratitude and great rejoicing. -Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory James Kurth is one of the world's leading scholars of international relations and political economy. With the entire global order rapidly transforming, these concise and splendidly written essays merit everyone's attention. -Thomas Ferguson, Contributing Editor, The Nation James Kurth has one of the most incisive and deeply-informed minds in the field of international relations. His new book is a cogent guide to a world undergoing fundamental change. --Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago A comprehensive, masterful analysis of the character of American foreign policy from its 18th century beginnings; to its present superpower status; and, most crucially, to the uncertainty of our mid-21st century future. Professor James Kurth, one of the West's foremost scholars of America's role in the world, has written a tour de force that will exert a powerful influence on those who think seriously about America's future. -John Fonte, Hudson Institute We should be grateful for having a voice like Kurth's that cuts through the ideological reveries of today's elites and forces us to examine the stark and dark possibilities of living in a fallen world. -Corey Abel, Academic Questions Kurth may be right or wrong on this or that point, but the message you should take is that the way Americans see the world -- Americans of the right, left, and middle -- is itself a construction rooted in history, religion, and culture. -Rod Dreher, The American Conservative

Kurth's provocative and passionate prose, accompanied by his brilliant analysis, make for lively reading. Indeed, his discussion of the American imperial idea constitutes but one of the book's many originalities. Divided into four sections, each following distinct thematic trajectories, The American Way of Empire investigates the rise and apparent decline of the American Empire from 1776 to the present. Eccentric, but replete with wisdom, the book draws on several fields: history, comparative politics, international relations, and political economy among others. Sometimes Kurth's prognoses and conclusions alarm, but he also suggests possible methods for the nation to extract itself from its present quagmire...The American Way of Empire is an entirely original and interpretive exploration of the American imperial project from its origins in the 19th century up to the present. --Charles W. Sharpe, Jr., CHRONICLES: A Magazine of American Culture, December 2020 issue (https: //www.chroniclesmagazine.org/the-adolescent-empire/) When it comes to deciphering the mysteries and contradictions of American statecraft, no one holds a candle to James Kurth. Let me emphasize that: No one. For nigh on a half-century, he has been a source of insight and wisdom on all matters related to U.S. foreign policy. The appearance of The American Way of Empire is, therefore, cause for gratitude and great rejoicing. -Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory James Kurth is one of the world's leading scholars of international relations and political economy. With the entire global order rapidly transforming, these concise and splendidly written essays merit everyone's attention. -Thomas Ferguson, Contributing Editor, The Nation James Kurth has one of the most incisive and deeply-informed minds in the field of international relations. His new book is a cogent guide to a world undergoing fundamental change. --Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago A comprehensive, masterful analysis of the character of American foreign policy from its 18th century beginnings; to its present superpower status; and, most crucially, to the uncertainty of our mid-21st century future. Professor James Kurth, one of the West's foremost scholars of America's role in the world, has written a tour de force that will exert a powerful influence on those who think seriously about America's future. -John Fonte, Hudson Institute We should be grateful for having a voice like Kurth's that cuts through the ideological reveries of today's elites and forces us to examine the stark and dark possibilities of living in a fallen world. -Corey Abel, Academic Questions Kurth may be right or wrong on this or that point, but the message you should take is that the way Americans see the world - Americans of the right, left, and middle - is itself a construction rooted in history, religion, and culture. -Rod Dreher, The American Conservative

"""Kurth's provocative and passionate prose, accompanied by his brilliant analysis, make for lively reading. Indeed, his discussion of the American imperial idea constitutes but one of the book's many originalities. Divided into four sections, each following distinct thematic trajectories, The American Way of Empire investigates the rise and apparent decline of the American Empire from 1776 to the present. Eccentric, but replete with wisdom, the book draws on several fields: history, comparative politics, international relations, and political economy among others. Sometimes Kurth's prognoses and conclusions alarm, but he also suggests possible methods for the nation to extract itself from its present quagmire...The American Way of Empire is an entirely original and interpretive exploration of the American imperial project from its origins in the 19th century up to the present."" --Charles W. Sharpe, Jr., CHRONICLES: A Magazine of American Culture, December 2020 issue (https: //www.chroniclesmagazine.org/the-adolescent-empire/) ""When it comes to deciphering the mysteries and contradictions of American statecraft, no one holds a candle to James Kurth. Let me emphasize that: No one. For nigh on a half-century, he has been a source of insight and wisdom on all matters related to U.S. foreign policy. The appearance of The American Way of Empire is, therefore, cause for gratitude and great rejoicing.""-Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory ""James Kurth is one of the world's leading scholars of international relations and political economy. With the entire global order rapidly transforming, these concise and splendidly written essays merit everyone's attention."" -Thomas Ferguson, Contributing Editor, The Nation ""James Kurth has one of the most incisive and deeply-informed minds in the field of international relations. His new book is a cogent guide to a world undergoing fundamental change.""--Bruce Cumings, University of Chicago ""A comprehensive, masterful analysis of the character of American foreign policy from its 18th century beginnings; to its present superpower status; and, most crucially, to the uncertainty of our mid-21st century future. Professor James Kurth, one of the West's foremost scholars of America's role in the world, has written a tour de force that will exert a powerful influence on those who think seriously about America's future.""-John Fonte, Hudson Institute ""We should be grateful for having a voice like Kurth's that cuts through the ideological reveries of today's elites and forces us to examine the stark and dark possibilities of living in a fallen world.""-Corey Abel, Academic Questions ""Kurth may be right or wrong on this or that point, but the message you should take is that the way Americans see the world - Americans of the right, left, and middle - is itself a construction rooted in history, religion, and culture."" -Rod Dreher, The American Conservative"

Author Information

James Kurth has taught at Swarthmore, Harvard, UC San Diego and the US Naval War College. He received his doctorate under Harvard's Samuel P. Huntington after graduation from Stanford, was a member of Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study, editor of Orbis, and advised the Chief of Naval Operations. A world traveler who has visited more than 50 countries, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and serves as an elder at Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

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