Empire in Retreat: The Past, Present, and Future of the United States

by Victor Bulmer-Thomas

A sweeping history of the United States through the lens of empire—and an incisive look forward as the nation retreats from the global stage.

A respected authority on international relations and foreign policy, Victor Bulmer-Thomas offers a grand survey of the United States as an empire. From its territorial expansion after independence, through hegemonic rule following World War II, to the nation’s current imperial retreat, the United States has had an uneasy relationship with the idea of itself as an empire. In this book Bulmer-Thomas offers three definitions of empire—territorial, informal, and institutional—that help to explain the nation’s past and forecast a future in which the United States will cease to play an imperial role. Arguing that the move toward diminished geopolitical dominance reflects the aspirations of most U.S. citizens, he asserts that imperial retreat does not necessarily mean national decline and may ultimately strengthen the nation-state. At this pivotal juncture in American history, Bulmer-Thomas’s uniquely global perspective will be widely read and discussed across a range of fields.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, International Relations

480 pages, Hardcover

Published March 27, 2018

About the author

Victor Bulmer-Thomas is professor emeritus at the University of London, honorary professor of the Institute of the Americas, University College London, and associate fellow in the U.S. and Americas Program, Chatham House, where he was Director from 2001 to 2006.

Reviews

[Mad Hab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!
second book by Bulmer-Thomas and second time very much impressed.
It is very well written, eloquent, informative and entertaining, very much recommended.

[Zachery Tyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting romp through 250 years of American empire; valuable if only for the crash-course in hemispheric and global history. The subject of the book isn't addressed until the last 75 pages or so if you're already a student of American history and want to skip to the book's thesis. Which is, essentially, a sober and somber outlook of the future of American predominance and a prediction of its ultimate disappearance 'probable' before its 350th anniversary. Bulmer-Thomas wears many of his biases on his sleeve, and the book certainly takes a 'tone' about halfway through. Even so, this view is helpful, and certainly 'a way' of seeing things. The more interesting parts of the book are about the U.S. creation of global infrastructures to manage what the author terms its 'semi-global' empire: i.e. the World Bank, IMF, UN, et al, what we call the instruments of world order.

[Piker7977 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The narrative of American imperialism brought forth by Victor Bulmer-Thomas is a fair handed account of how the United States created hegemony in continental, hemispheric, and semi-global phases. His third and final section of the book covers how the empire is in retreat, and how both internal and external forces are causing the waning.

This is a timely book and much appreciated as this subject and perspective is outgrowing the New Left school of historiography. Bulmer-Thomas provides a history and examination that does not get bogged down in cynicism. Empire in Retreat combines historical analysis with theories of international relations and political science that force the reader to take his study seriously. His arguments are above the fray of patriotic partisanship in America which hopefully appeals to many readers within the U.S. Part of this comes from his outsider viewpoint. Since many (or perhaps most) of the world's population views America as an empire (for better or for worse) these considerations are long overdue for thoughtful contemplation and discourse.

The reasons for the retreat are various and need not be listed in this review. It should be noted that Bulmer-Thomas presents the internal and external causes as structural within the American political and imperial systems, along with the global order that was created out of the Second World War. He also states that imperial decline has a greater chance of strengthening the nation-state instead of dovetailing in decline. My one complaint with this book is how that particular symptom (nation-state health) of imperial decline was short changed of deeper analysis and historical examples from past empires. This is where others can contribute and help ease America's transition out of hegemony to one of peaceful self-awareness.

[Diego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victor Bulmer -Thomas un historiador económico especializado en América Latina se da la tarea de hacer una especie de "historia imperial" de los Estados Unidos, en ella nos detalla las distintas fases de expansión imperial por la que este país ha pasado. Primero la fase de expansión territorial desde su independencia hasta inicios del siglo XX, con particular detalle sobre la expansión sobre el Caribe y América Latina. La expansión institucional por medio de su control sobre instituciones internacionales como el FMI, el WB, la OMC y distintas organizaciones no gubernamentales logrando lo que el autor llama un "Imperio semiglobal" y por último su etapa unipolar desde el fin de la guerra fría hasta la actualidad.

En este recorrido sobre la historia imperial de Estados Unidos, el autor va construyendo su argumento sobre el gradual retiro que desde hace algún tiempo experimenta y que se acelera con los errores de las últimas administraciones la de Obama y la de Trump, la perdida de influencia institucional y su relativa perdida de importancia económica conforme China y otros países han crecido rápidamente.

Es un libro muy divertido, muy bien escrito, fácil de leer y muy bien documentado. Una lectura importante para entender algunas de las posiciones que hoy vemos en Estados Unidos y que nos advierte que quizá lo que vemos hoy es un adelanto de como serán los próximos años de Estados Unidos en su relación con el mundo, quizá con un tono más educado pero en el que "Estados Unidos primero" sigue estando al frente de su comportamiento.

[Julian Pritchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of this book is just going through the history of U.S. empire, which has been summarized more succinctly by Greg Grandin, Chalmers Johnson, Michael Mann, or other leftist social scientists. It is a bit repetitive. The original scholarship of Bulmer Thomas is the economic analysis of U.S. and global statistics since the 1970s. It's not bad, and it argues effectively that we are moving towards a more multipolar economic and political order.

[Turgut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by former director of Chatham House.