I think the condition of imperial denial is a handicap because if you do not recognize that you are essentially performing the functions of an empire, you are incapable of learning from the mistakes of past empires.
Niall FergusonYou really struggle to be a successful empire if you are also the world's biggest debtor.
Niall FergusonThe rise of the West is, quite simply, the pre-eminent historical phenomenon of the second half of the second millennium after Christ.
Niall FergusonAll empires have depended on local legitimacy and local collaboration; they are not based primarily on coercion. An imperial rule that relies wholly on coercion can't endure. It's too expensive.
Niall Ferguson