Article Critique: International Political Economy

Walter LaFeber (p. 1) argues that empire and imperialism generates the process of globalization and that fragmentation is an almost always inevitable consequence of the emergence of a sole superpower capable of hegemonic action. LaFeber (p. 2) suggests in his article that fragmentation of the political economy had taken place prior to the terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001. These attacks are seen by LaFeber (p. 2) as a climax of the globe's growing fragmentation with the U.S.-led response indicative of how great states attempt to reimpose needed order.

LaFeber (p. 18) concludes his discussion of these relationships by referencing the potential that the American government led by President George W. Bush may elect to overthrow Sadaam Hussein and to assert a uniquely American political economy. It is anticipated that the post-September 11th world will be less shaped by the globalism, unilateralism, and fragmentation that helped produce that world. Finally, LaFeber (p. 18) maintains that the question to be answered is not whether America has acquired an empire or what kind of empire it is, but what kind of democracy America will bend her efforts toward creating. LaFeber (p. 6) also suggests that the September 11th attacks utilized some of the technologies of globalization to climax a decade of rapid globalization and thereby threatened to bring globalization to a stands

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e potential dangers posed by Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda network. LaFeber (pp. 5-6) believes that a number of fatal foreign policy failures and diplomatic failures occurred during the Clinton administration and continued through the first months of the administration of George W. Bush. These "fatal" failures did not sufficiently halt fragmentation. In fact, almost in passing, LaFeber (p. 6) asserts that the real Clinton doctrine had more to do with the astonishing stock market gains of the 1990s than with U.S. military intervention in such areas as Bosnia and Kosovo in order to halt fragmentation. LaFeber (p. 7) moves on to an analysis of how the forces of anti-globalization failed to make much of an impact on the political economy or the foreign policy initiatives of the sole remaining superpower prior to September 11th. Drawing heavily upon early comments on America offered by Alexis de Tocqueville, LaFeber (p. 8) introduces the economic theories of John Meynard Keynes into his analysis of fragmentation and privatization. He comments extensively upon the post-September 11th actions of George W. Bush and makes a strong case that Bush centralized power in the White House and thereby made what amounts to a political e
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1328
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)