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1、Foster.Friday.qxd6/19/200312:15PMPage1TheNewAgeofImperialismJOHNBELLAMYFOSTERImperialismismeanttoservetheneedsofarulingclassmuchmorethananation.Ithasnothingtodowithdemocracy.Perhapsforthatreasonithasoftenbeencharacterizedasaparasiticphenomenon—evenbycriticsasastu
2、teasJohnHobsoninhis1902classic,Imperialism:AStudy.Andfromthereitisunfortunatelyalltooeasytoslideintothecrudenotionthatimperialistexpansionissimplyaproductofpowerfulgroupsofindividu-alswhohavehijackedanation’sforeignpolicytoservetheirownnarrowends.Numerouscriticso
3、fthecurrentexpansionoftheAmericanempire—bothontheU.S.leftandinEurope—nowarguethattheUnitedStatesundertheadministrationofGeorgeW.Bushhasbeentakenoverbyaneo-conservativecabal,ledbysuchfiguresasPaulWolfowitz(deputysecretaryofdefense),LewisLibby(thevicepresident’schi
4、efofstaff),andRichardPerle(oftheDefensePolicyBoard).ThiscabalissaidtohavethestrongbackingofSecretaryofDefenseRumsfeldandVicePresidentCheney,and,throughthem,PresidentBush.Therisetoprominenceoftheneoconserva-tivehegemonistswithintheadministrationisthoughttohavebeen
5、broughtonbytheundemocratic2000election,inwhichtheSupremeCourtappointedBushaspresident,andbytheterroristattacksofSeptember11,2001,whichsuddenlyenlargedthenationalsecuritystate.Allofthishascontributed,wearetold,toaunilateralistandbelligerentforeignpolicyatoddswitht
6、hehistoricU.S.roleintheworld.AstheEconomistmagazineraisedthisquestioninitsApril26,2003issue:“Sohasacabaltakenovertheforeignpolicyofthemostpowerfulcountryintheworld?Isatinygroupofideologuesusingunduepowertointerveneintheinternalaffairsofothercountries,createanempi
7、re,trashinternationallaw—anddamntheconsequences?”TheEconomist’sownanswerwas“Notreally.”Rightlyrejectingthecabaltheory,itarguedinsteadthat“theneo-consarepartofabroadermovement”andthata“near-consensus[amongU.S.policyelites]isfoundaroundthenotionthatAmericashoulduse
8、itspowervigorouslytoreshapetheworld.”ButwhatismissingfromtheEconomistandfromallsuchmainstreamdiscussionsistherecognitionthatimperialisminthiscase,asalways,isno
