In His New Book, Colossus, Hoover Fellow Niall Ferguson Sees the United States as an 'Empire in Denial'

[Hoover Institution via BizWire]

STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 29, 2004--What role does
the United States play in the world? What role should the United
States play in the world?
Niall Ferguson, Hoover senior fellow, proposes in Colossus: The
Price of America's Empire (Penguin Press, 2004) that although many in
the United States deny that it's an empire or has aspirations to
become one, it already is one and, indeed, that there is little that
is remarkable about this. The larger questions Ferguson poses are how
well and for how long is the United States willing to play its role as
an empire?
Ferguson's controversial position -- that the United States is an
empire -- has drawn criticism and praise. Whether one agrees or
disagrees, it's certain that Ferguson's view merits considerable
discussion. "Colossus is sure to shake the assumptions of both fans
and critics of the American Empire -- including those who deny that
such a thing even exists," said Max Boot, scholar and author of The
Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power.
Niall Ferguson is Herzog Professor of Financial History at the
Stern Business School, New York University, and senior research fellow
at Jesus College, Oxford University, where he is also a visiting
professor of history. His previous books include The Pity of War:
Explaining World War One; The House of Rothschild; The Cash Nexus:
Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700-2000; and Empire: The Rise
and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global
Power.

Colossus: The Price of America's Empire
By Niall Ferguson
ISBN: 1-59420-013-0 $25.95 paperback
366 pages April 2004