EconAir

Kaiser Wilhelm INTRODUCTION Some historians believe that the twentieth century began with World War I.  But how did World War I begin? The horrors of Europe’s twentieth century were born of this catastrophe; it was, as the American historian Fritz Stern put it, "the first calamity of the twentieth century, the calamity from which all other calamities sprang." The consequences lasted at least until 1991, the breakup of the Soviet Union, which may mark the end of the twentieth century.  But the immediate cause of the war – instability and wars in the Balkans – reappeared again with the breakup of Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia, which was created after World War I. Rivalry over influence in the Central European "borderlands" continues. Violence in the Middle East is partly a result of the arbitrary national boundaries drawn up by French and British imperialists during World War I. The economic dislocations caused by World War I we

There are two kinds of empires: the kind that rules through ruthless exploitation, and the kind that seeks to induce allies into defending themselves through economic incentives. (George Friedman) INTRODUCTION America's power and influence in the world rests on three broad, interrelated bases: 1) Overwhelming military power that can be projected anywhere in the world,     supplemented by security arrangements with allies and supporters. 2) A large, innovative, dynamic domestic economy as the basis for global economic and technological leadership. The economy provides the resources and technology to support the military and a global foreign policy. 3) Claims to moral and ideological leadership and influence, particularly the promotion of liberal democratic societies and supporting political institutions. This post will discuss the economic aspects and related security objectives of American foreign policy. It will focus on the structure of the global