Select Links

• Delusions of Empire (Slate Magazine)

• Post-liberation troubles in Iraq may undermine Pax Americana.
• Neo-conservative policy-makers should recalibrate their public stance.
• The Pax Americana debate is reinterpeting past US foreign policies.
• The outcome will define the next generation of US policy-makers.
• A case study in how rhetoric influences contemporary history.

US neo-conservatives like Richard Perle and William Kristol have embraced the post-Cold War dream of Pax Americana. So how does their ideological stance look after the regime-change in Iraq? Slate and New Republic scribe Fred Kaplan contends, in this article, that the imperialist empire rhetoric may be overblown, and that critical details are being left out of the historical analogies. The problems in Iraq's reconstruction would be amplified by US incursions into Iran or North Korea. Kaplan cites the debate regarding US foreign policy between Niall Ferguson (Salon and Guardian reviews), Max Boot and Robert Kaplan. The outcome of this debate will define the next generation of US policy-makers, and how future US Administrations engage with the rest of the world. The debate also shows why certain ideas are used by policy-makers to influence current history.

• Comics on the Internet: A Business Primer (Indignant Online)

• Traditional publishing companies have been Internet wary.
• The Internet exposes a new audience to comics.
• Web-only originals and previews are popular.
• Retailers perceive Internet comics as a competitive threat.

Technology consultant Todd Allen has published a savvy whitepaper on the growth of Web-only comics, and how traditional companies and retailers have responded to the new entrants. Marvel, Dark Horse and other comic publishers have adapted elements of Web-only comics to their audience (such as offering previews). Allen's excellent industry analysis hints at the value migration from traditional publishers to new formats. The result may be a shakeup of the comics industry. Or the cool hunters at global advertising firms, like Publicis SA, may gain yet another source to probe for the secrets of subcultures. For another perspective, check out Dan Raviv's book Comic Wars (Broadway Books, New York, 2002).

The views expressed above represent the writer and not necessarily those of The Disinformation Company Ltd.