The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire Book PDF, ePub eBook

Join our eBook service for unlimited books & audiobooks. Get a free 7 day subscription! ↓↓↓↓↓


Book Descriptions:

Modern America owes the Roman Empire for more than gladiator movies and the architecture of the nation's Capitol. It can also thank the ancient republic for some helpful lessons in globalization. So argues economic historian Harold James in this masterful work of intellectual history.

The book addresses what James terms "the Roman dilemma"--the paradoxical notion that while global society depends on a system of rules for building peace and prosperity, this system inevitably leads to domestic clashes, international rivalry, and even wars. As it did in ancient Rome, James argues, a rule-based world order eventually subverts and destroys itself, creating the need for imperial action. The result is a continuous fluctuation between pacification and the breakdown of domestic order.

James summons this argument, first put forth more than two centuries ago in Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, to put current events into perspective. The world now finds itself staggering between a set of internationally negotiated trading rules and exchange--rate regimes, and the enforcement practiced by a sometimes-imperial America. These two forces--liberal international order and empire--will one day feed on each other to create a shakeup in global relations, James predicts. To reinforce his point, he invokes the familiar bon mot once applied to the British Empire: "When Britain could not rule the waves, it waived the rules."

Despite the pessimistic prognostications of Smith and Gibbon, who saw no way out of this dilemma, James ends his book on a less depressing note. He includes a chapter on one possible way in which the world could resolve the Roman Predicament--by opting for a global system based on values as opposed to rules.

The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire by Harold James

From reader reviews:

Jeffrey Dominguez:

Why don't make it to be your habit? Right now, try to ready your time to do the important work, like looking for your favorite reserve and reading a reserve. Beside you can solve your trouble; you can add your knowledge by the reserve entitled The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire. Try to stumble through book The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire as your good friend. It means that it can to become your friend when you really feel alone and beside that of course make you smarter than before. Yeah, it is very fortuned in your case. The book makes you much more confidence because you can know every thing by the book. So , we need to make new experience and also knowledge with this book.

Lucinda Brown:

What do you concentrate on book? It is just for students since they are still students or the item for all people in the world, what the best subject for that? Just you can be answered for that question above. Every person has diverse personality and hobby for each other. Don't to be pressured someone or something that they don't want do that. You must know how great as well as important the book The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire. All type of book are you able to see on many sources. You can look for the internet resources or other social media.

Michael Watkins:

Playing with family in a park, coming to see the water world or hanging out with close friends is thing that usually you could have done when you have spare time, then why you don't try matter that really opposite from that. One particular activity that make you not feeling tired but still relaxing, trilling like on roller coaster you have been ride on and with addition details. Even you love The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire, you could enjoy both. It is excellent combination right, you still would like to miss it? What kind of hang-out type is it? Oh seriously its mind hangout folks. What? Still don't have it, oh come on its referred to as reading friends.

Terry Snider:

Some individuals said that they feel bored stiff when they reading a guide. They are directly felt this when they get a half elements of the book. You can choose the actual book The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire to make your current reading is interesting. Your skill of reading ability is developing when you including reading. Try to choose straightforward book to make you enjoy to study it and mingle the feeling about book and reading especially. It is to be initial opinion for you to like to wide open a book and read it. Beside that the book The Roman Predicament: How the Rules of International Order Create the Politics of Empire can to be your new friend when you're sense alone and confuse in what must you're doing of their time.