This rigorous critique of the new American imperialism analyses the action in Afghanistan, the war against terrorism and the warnings to "rogue states". It argues that current American foreign policy exaggerates American power and fails to understand that the US possesses much less power than the major empires of history. It suggests that this new imperialism will simply produce wars without end. This dissection of the military, economic, political and cultural resources of the US insists that they can only generate an incoherent empire.

Author Biography

Michael Mann is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles. His major works include the prizewinning series "The Sources of Social Power, Volume I: A History of Power from the Beginning to 1760 AD, " and "Volume II: The Rise of Classes and Nation-States, 1760-1914."