Democracy in the Desert: Civil Society, Nation-Building and Empire

This paper examines the problem of nation-building, focusing on the complex role of civil society in sustaining democracy and the US' experience in this field. It defines "empire" and sets forth the logic that underpins US international posture. Subsequently, the paper identifies four key objections to the imperial project, including the problem of trying to graft democracy onto a dysfunctional civil society, the US' abysmal record of transforming conquered countries into democracies, the inappropriateness of the instrument chosen for post-war national reconstruction and the problems of addressing terrorism by military conquest. The author concludes that the US empire will fail.

Download: