Taking an in-depth look at the United States government, this landmark work demonstrates why the United States should be considered an empire and how this is contrary to the ideals of both conservatives and liberals and to the very principles on which the United States was built. Through a detailed examination of US foreign policy over the last century up through the Bush administration's policies in the Middle East and elsewhere, this work explores how rampant imperialism has threatened US security, strained US relations with the rest of the world, and curtailed American civil liberties at home. Examining the similar signs in the current state of affairs that have marked the decline of other great powers throughout history, a case is made for the dismantling of the American empire and a return to the mode of military restraint traditional to American foreign policy. This book is a chilling insight into the direction the United States has taken and, if its interventionist policies continue, the direction it will take in years to come.