The New American Empire [Paperback]

Rodrigue Tremblay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 24, 2004

What is behind the American-led war in Iraq? Has the long and uninterrupted march towards globalization and world economic interdependence reached a zenith and begun to regress? What will be the consequences for the United States and for the world? The author explains the fundamental shift that foreign and domestic policies have taken under George W. Bush, since September 11, 2001. Besides attempting to focus a critical light on the new international geopolitical situation against the backdrop of the war in Iraq, the book adopts the larger perspective of the evolution of Western civilization over the last five and a half centuries, that is, since the fall of Constantinople in 1453.

Product Details

• Paperback: 365 pages
• Publisher: Infinity Publishing (February 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0741418878
• ISBN-13: 978-0741418876
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,674,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Professor Rodrigue Tremblay is a graduate of Stanford University where he obtained an M.A. in Economics (1965) and a Ph.D. in Economics (1968). He is a former chairman of the Department of Economics at the University of Montreal. He is also a former president of the North American Economics and Finance Association, a former president of the Canadian Economics Society and a former vice-president of the International Association of French-speaking economists. Dr. Tremblay has also served as Minister of Industry and Trade in the Government of Quebec, from 1976 to 1979. He has also served as a member of the Committee of Dispute Settlements of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He is a member of the Quebec Humanist Association. Dr. Tremblay has published 29 books. His previous book "The New American Empire" was published in English, in French under the title "Le nouvel empire americain", and in Turkish under the title of "Yeni Amerikan mparatorlu>u". In 2004, Dr. Tremblay was awarded the prestigious Condorcet Prize of political philosophy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

163 of 172 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deftly researched, deadly serious warning, November 8, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New American Empire (Paperback)

In The New American Empire, economist and professor emeritus Rodrigue Tremblay dares to ask: what is really the motive behind the American war in Iraq? What will be its consequences, both for the United States and the world? Focusing on a critical shift that American foreign and domestic policies have taken under George Bush since September 11, 2001, viewed both in the context of modern history and as part of the evolution of Western civilization since the fall of Constantinople in 1453. The dangerous implications of a war initiated and led under false pretenses, the strategic importance of oil and its fundamental motivation in a political and worldwide power grab, emerging decadence in the West and more are all chronicles with a cautious eye and a sharp tongue. A deftly researched, deadly serious warning of the clear and present dangers of America's current uncontrolled national hubris.

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "An Original Take on the New American Empire", October 31, 2004

By 

M. Marshall (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New American Empire (Paperback)

"M. Marshall" (Palo Alto CA, USA)

In sixteen thought-provoking chapters, the author
discusses, among other topics, a comparison of the
zealous mindsets of Ossama bin Laden and George W.
Bush, the rise of the religious right and its growing
influence in the Republican Party, the international
implications of the "Bush Doctrine" of September,
2002, and the strategic importance of oil.

One of the most enlightening sections in this timely
book is the discussion of the "Just War Theory".

Is George W. Bush's war of aggression against Iraq a
"Just War"? The author emphatically answers No. He
presents a clear case against a war which has so far
caused more than 25,000 deaths, most of them civilian,
including those of more than 1,000 young Americans
sent half way around the world. For what? Nobody seems
to know, since the official rationales for starting
this war have disappeared one after the other, some
being outright lies.

This was not a war of "last resort", since Wolfowitz,
Cheney and Co had been planning the invasion of Iraq
for more than a decade. It would seem now that the war
in Iraq is not being fought with the "right
intentions": Wolfowitz and Cheney have mentioned, on
numerous occasions, that "Iraq's oil" had to be
secured. There was no "just cause" either since Iraq
had no military capabilities to threaten the United
States, or any other country for that matter. This is
a war with no legitimacy, since the United Nations
refused to give its authorisation for such a military
invasion. And, as a result of the indiscriminate
bombings of civilian urban populations, it is an
immoral war, because it has resulted in the killing of
scores of innocent people.

Chapter 16, "Greatness and Decadence of the West",
could perhaps have been the starting point for this
essay, and is well worth a second read. In it, Dr.
Tremblay resumes in a nutshell the essential values of
Western civilisation and the reasons for its success.
Taking us into the future, the author speculates on
the life cycle of this "Democratic Western Empire"
which may soon be split into two competing economic
blocs-the United States and Europe. Eventually, as
China develops and expands, a tri-polar world may
emerge.

Because of its sharp analysis of U.S. politics
following the shock of Sept.11, this book will hold
the readers interest from beginning to end. Kudos to
the author.

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the best book on American Empire, July 19, 2005

By 

Mike K. King, (New York, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New American Empire (Paperback)

I have read many great (and not so great) books on President Bush and on how his Neo-con advisers gave him the intellectual and the intelligence ammunitions to launch a unilateral war against Iraq. None, however, integrates the lessons of history (the cycle of empires) and the intricacies of domestic politics (the role of AIPAC) in such a clear and powerful way as The New American Empire does. The book covers such a wide range of related topics, from the 'Just War theory' to the 'Brezhnev Doctrine' and the 'Helsinki Accords', that it is impossible to read it without acquiring ipso facto a synthetic view of geopolitics and its current ramifications. It is a welcomed antidote to the superficial analyses that one reads in the major newspapers and hears on cable TV.
I have a feeling that this is one book that will stand out as very prophetic in a few years.