"If it quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. If it quacks
like an empire, it probably is an empire," remarked Niall
Ferguson, author of Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British
World Order and the Lessons for Global Power, at a July 17
debate at AEI. Ferguson squared off against Robert Kagan, author
of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World
Order, in a debate addressing the nature of American power.
Arguing that the United States is an empire and should be
labeled as such, Ferguson cited America's economic, military,
and cultural strength as proof of its classification as an
empire. He observed that in addition to "nearly a third of world
output" being "accounted for by the United States," America also
has the power to "fight and win any war against any rival
today." In addition, and perhaps more importantly, "the United
States also has one very important attribute of empire not
contained in the dictionary definition. It has the ability to
export its cultural values, to make its cultur