America: A Transitional Empire?

"Republics imply single nations, democratically governed - which is what America was founded to be. The very essence of 'empire' is the control of one nation over other nations. While America remains a republic within its own borders, it has become an empire in relationship to the rest of the world.... The central question before America, therefore, is what it should do with all the power that it has—how should it assert its authority, and for what end? This means that America should acknowledge—even celebrate—its transition to empire and acquisition of global mastery...." ~Jim Garrison, America as Empire

Why exactly is America's imperial status something to be celebrated? How can we begin to come to realistic terms with the status of America as empire, cutting through the idle alarmism and insatiable hunger for power that often spring from the American Left and Right? And how might we begin to rise to the enormous opportunity the American empire has to transform the world for the better? As Ken and Jim agree, the central paradox of the world is the fact that America has become the most powerful nation-state in the history of civilization, at precisely a time when the forces of history are demanding that we move beyond the very concept of nation-states, into a new era of truly world-centric global governance. And herein lies the ultimate challenge for America: to consciously view itself as a "transitional empire," leading the human species away from political fragmentation and economic isolation, toward a genuinely integrated world governance. In this way, America can guarantee that it will indeed be history's very last empire, by helping to make obsolete the need for imperial powers altogether. But how is this to be done?