Press Release: July/August Issue Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2004
Washington, DC

Contact: Jeff Marn
Tel: 202-939-2242
jmarn@ceip.org

FOREIGN POLICY July/August 2004
NIALL FERGUSON: THE ALTERNATIVE TO AMERICAN PRIMACY IS A NEW DARK AGE
Plus, the Metrosexual Superpower, Iraqs Missing Majority, Modern-day Mercenaries, Americas Imperial Amnesia, How to Run the IMF, and More

Tired of American global dominance? Be careful what you wish for. In the July/August cover story of Foreign Policy , preeminent historian and bestselling author, Niall Ferguson warns that the alternative to American primacy is not a multilateral dream world, but an anarchic nightmare. If the United States relinquishes its hegemonic role, none of the potential successorsEurope, China , or the Muslim worldwould be able to take its place, he says. The result would be civilization’s retreat amidst a new Dark Age, complete with waning empires, religious fanaticism, endemic violence, and economic devastation. History has known such times before. Welcome to the not-so-new world disorder.

Excerpts from A World Without Power:

If the United States retreats from global hegemonyits fragile self-image dented by minor setbacks on the imperial frontierits critics at home and abroad must not pretend that they are ushering in a new era of multipolar harmony, or even a return to the good old balance of power.

The trouble is, of course, that this Dark Age would be an altogether more dangerous one than the Dark Age of the ninth century. For the world is much more populousroughly 20 times moreso friction between the world’s disparate tribes’ is bound to be greater. Technology has upgraded destruction, too, so it is now possible not just to sack a city but to obliterate it.

The worst effects of the new Dark Age would be felt on the margins of the waning great powers. The wealthiest ports of the global economyfrom New York to Rotterdam to Shanghai would become the targets of plunderers and pirates.

The Metrosexual Superpower
After 60 years of dressing up, the European Union (EU) has revealed its true 21st-century orientation. Cleverly deploying both its hard power and its sensitive side, the EU has become more effectiveand more attractivethan the United States on the catwalk of global diplomatic clout. Meet the real New Europe: the world’s first metrosexual superpower. (p. 66)

Think Again: Mercenaries
For as long as humans have waged war, they have hired contractors, or private security forces, as they are known today. Even as the Iraq conflict raises concerns over holding military contractors accountable, these hired guns are fast becoming indispensable to militaries, corporations, and activists. (p. 20)

Imperial Amnesia
An American president invades a distant land to share the blessings of democracy. Instead, U.S. troops encounter a bloody insurrection. Sound familiar? Don’t think Iraq todaythink the Philippines and Mexico decades ago, says John B. Judis, visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment. The Bush administration has embarked on a historic mission. Too bad they ignored the lessons of history. (p. 50)

How to Run the International Monetary Fund
The world’s richest nations recently tapped Spain ‘s Rodrigo Rato to head the International Monetary Fund. His first task, argues leading economist Jeffrey D. Sachs, will be to uphold the interests of all the fund’s member countriesnot just those that chose him. (p. 60)

America Overdrawn
The United States is the world’s economic engine. But with Americans saving less and Washington spending more, the engine is now running on fumes. Former treasury secretary and Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers warns that the impending U.S. savings crisis must be brought under control. If not, these trends could easily become a global crisis, igniting trade protectionism and threatening global economic integration. (p. 46)

Iraq’s Excluded Women
In a country where women make up 60 percent of the population, true democracy is impossible without female leadership. Swanee Hunt and Cristina Posa warn against trading women’s progress for political expediency in Iraq . Failing to include women in government would ultimately condemn Iraq to the autocracy, economic stagnation, and social malaise of its Arab neighbors. (p. 40)

About FOREIGN POLICY

Founded in 1970, FOREIGN POLICY is the premier, award-winning magazine of global politics, economics, and ideas. Our readers include some of the most influential leaders in business, government, and other professional arenas in the United States and more than 90 other countries. In addition to our flagship English-language edition and Web site, foreignpolicy.com, FP is published in Arabic, Greek, Italian, Spanish (three editions), and Turkish. FP is published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (www.ceip.org) in Washington, D.C. For syndication permission, contact Ayari de laRosa at 202-939-2241 or adelarosa@ceip.org.