The Roots of Contemporary Imperialism

The Roots of Contemporary Imperialism argues that the presence of George W. Bush and the issues that accompanied his presidency, such as popular repression and business domination, are not the result of an authoritarian regression of U.S. politics but rather represent the continuation of an approach that came into existence during the age of the Founding Fathers. The creation of the federal presidential republic, whose main purpose was not as much to preserve the balance of power between the various branches of government as to hinder any radical changes in society, shows how the Fathers' main concern was not people's freedom but to devise constitutional mechanisms intended to defend the properties, wealth, and privileges of economic elites. In the author's view, Barack Obama's recent election as the nominee of one of the two wings of the single "business party," despite the rhetoric about "change" and "hope," followed exactly the same pattern.