The Roman Predicament : How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire
Editorial Reviews
Review
Niall Ferguson, Harvard University, author of "Empire and Colossus" : In a glut of books about American empire, Harold James's stands out for its subtlety and erudition. Few other scholars could so elegantly and persuasively relate Edward Gibbon's account of the decline of Rome to the present predicament of the United States.
Adam Posen, Senior Fellow, Institute for International Economics : In today's public debate, historical analogies usually come cheap. In Harold James's hands, historical parallels and themes are marshalled with wisdom and insight--judiciously connected without being overdrawn--and ultimately provide enlightenment. The Roman Predicament gives us the real lessons for today from the Roman and British empires while deflating the delusions of the neo-imperialists and their left-wing counterparts. Power, law, and wealth work in tandem to thrive, and James shows us how.
Niall Ferguson, Harvard University, author of "Empire" and "Colossus" : In a glut of books about American empire, Harold James's stands out for its subtlety and erudition. Few other scholars could so elegantly and persuasively relate Edward Gibbon's account of the decline of Rome to the present predicament of the United States.
Book Description
Modern America owes the Roman Empire for more than gladiator movies and the architecture of the nation's Capitol. It can also thank the ancient republic for some helpful lessons in globalization. So argues economic historian Harold James in this masterful work of intellectual history.
The book addresses what James terms "the Roman dilemma"--the paradoxical notion that while global society depends on a system of rules for building peace and prosperity, this system inevitably leads to domestic clashes, international rivalry, and even wars. As it did in ancient Rome, James argues, a rule-based world order eventually subverts and destroys itself, creating the need for imperial action. The result is a continuous fluctuation between pacification and the breakdown of domestic order.
James summons this argument, first put forth more than two centuries ago in Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, to put current events into perspective. The world now finds itself staggering between a set of internationally negotiated trading rules and exchange--rate regimes, and the enforcement practiced by a sometimes-imperial America. These two forces--liberal international order and empire--will one day feed on each other to create a shakeup in global relations, James predicts. To reinforce his point, he invokes the familiar bon mot once applied to the British Empire: "When Britain could not rule the waves, it waived the rules."
Despite the pessimistic prognostications of Smith and Gibbon, who saw no way out of this dilemma, James ends his book on a less depressing note. He includes a chapter on one possible way in which the world could resolve the Roman Predicament--by opting for a global system based on values as opposed to rules.
The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire,Harold James,Princeton University Press,0691122210,Globalization,Imperialism,International Relations - General,International economic relations,Political Science,Politics / Current Events,Politics/International Relations,Power (Social sciences),World - Colonial Studies,Ancient Rome,Economics,European history: BCE to c 500 CE,Political Science / International Relations,Political Science and International Relations,World History/Comparative History
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