Niall Ferguson, the author of Colossus: Our Imperial Imperative

The Atlantic Online ^ | May 25, 2004 | interview by Frank Bures

[Tolik]

I hate the word empire when used to describe the United States. If the US is an empire, it sure is empire-lite. We are not expanding the borders. It’s hard to have colonies when you don't have any colonists. Aside from Iraq for the next three and a half weeks, we do not administer foreign countries.

[Tolik]

Interesting article PING.

[Yardstick]

*Bump for later*

Ferguson's book is reviewed in the latest National Review. This looks like an interesting interview.

I didn't realize he was as young as he is. I wonder if that pic is up to date?

[scouse]

I think that the photo is a recent one. I saw him being interviewed on C-SPAN and he is very interesting. I believe that he teaches history at Oxford.

[ijcr]

Ferguson,like many academics and politicians falls for the classic trap of the soothsayer. While they are willing to accept new ideas and embrace them with relish, they cannot reject the old ones.

You say the clay feet of the American colossus are Medicare and Social Security—along with the predicted $45 trillion shortfall in the next few decades or so.

Medicare will alter in the next few years,the work place for Americans has changed, gone are the heavy manufacturing industries and their dependence on soot,dust and heavy chemicals,75% of the country no longer smokes,nutrition awareness and physical fitness are now in vogue.

Patents on the most popular prescribed drugs will soon expire permitting much cheaper generic versions and newer combination drugs are being developed reducing drug costs by at least 50%.

Social Security can be readily resolved by changing the period and amounts of government "off sets". However, I for one would prefer a more honest major reform to a portable pension plan for all citizens including all State,Federal and municipal employees. Everyone is agreement that a review of the current system is necessary.

The true danger is internal and lies in the decisions of unelected judges...here we may have to demand a merit retention system for all levels of judiciary.

[beckett]

It is the habitual fantasy of many Americans that if the U.S. would just stop intervening abroad everybody in the world would enact the lyrics of John Lennon's "Imagine." History suggests otherwise.

Added to my "goodquotes" file.

[beckett]

The photo is current. He's a young man. He was featured on C-SPAN's In-Depth in early May, a three hour interview, and he was fascinating throughout. He's quite the wunderkind.

[beckett]

I believe that he teaches history at Oxford.

He teaches economics at The Stern Graduate School at NYU currently, but he will be teaching at Harvard in the fall.

[lainde]

Bump for when my eyes unswell and my head unclogs...

[BartMan1]

ping for a good read

[happygrl]

I have heard Ferguson described as the heir to John Keegan in writing about war.

He's nice to look at too.