An empire is functionally distinct from a mere great power. If the United States adopts an imperial vocation, it will need to learn new ways to manage its national security challenges.
As the Great Recession gnaws at our very belief in the ability of capitalism to raise us to ever-escalating levels of wealth and prosperity, Keynes's no-longer-viable financial prescriptions are being resurrected.
Anti-interventionists allege our leaders traded a strong, austere republic for a weak and sprawling empire predicated on a military might that could not match our own ambitions. This narrative negates real threats and real victories.
