Mortal splendor

"Walter Russell Mead describes the rise of America's liberal world empire, its golden years from World War II until the mid 1960s, and its continuing decline since then. He puts the American empire in the context of past empires - Athenian, Roman, British - and shows that decline is inevitable, but also that we can choose the shape of our postimperial future. He particularly examines the unsuccessful attempts of our last four administrations to deal with issues arising from the decline of the American Empire."--Book Jacket.