Power, Profit and Prestige" applies incisive historical and sociological analysis to make sense of the United States' post-Cold War imperial behaviour. Philip Golub studies imperial identity formation and shows how an embedded culture of force and expansion has shaped American foreign policy. He argues that the US logic of world power and deeply rooted assumptions about American primacy inhibits democratic transformation at domestic and international levels. This resistance to change may lead the US empire into a crisis of its own making. This enlightening book will be particularly useful to students of history and international relations as they explore a world where America is no longer able to set the global agenda.

Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. The American Empire In Its World Historical Setting; 3. A Taste Of Blood In The Jungle: The Late Nineteenth Century; 4. The Hierarchies Of Pax Americana; 5. Power And Plenty In The Post-Cold War; 6. Striving For Global Monopoly; 7. Losing Control; 8. Conclusion: Order, Hierarchy And Pluralism; Select Bibliography; Index.

Philip S. Golub is a widely published author and Contributing Editor of Le Monde Diplomatique. He teaches International Relations and International Political Economy at the Institut d'etudes europeennes, Universite Paris 8 and at the American University of Paris (AUP).