Written by Amy Chua
“No hyperpower lasts forever; U.S. world dominance too will come to an end…yet asking how long America can remain a hyperpower assumes that world dominance is something that the United States ought to try and maintain.”
I don’t always review the more academic books that form part of my recreational reading, but this particular book was a birthday present that paid immediate dividends. Frankly, if all academic treatises were like this one, I’d be a happy man.
Day of Empire is a book with a simple, clear, straightforward focus: what is a hyperpower, what does it take to become one, how do they fail, and what lies in store for such states in the future? Is that easy enough to comprehend? I certainly think it is…and the author goes to town with a fascinating analysis of this straightforward series of questions.
It’s a tour through quite the most impressive (and sometimes surprising) selection of civilizations, dating back three millenia: Achaemenid Persia, Rome, the Mongols, the Dutch, the British Empire, and the United States of America. Each one is analysed through the prism of the research questions stated above, and the results are easy to understand, easy to follow. Each empire leaves behind fascinating questions in its wake, but never once does the book believe it provides all the answers. It even seeks to compare these historical juggernauts with failed usurpers (such as Nazi Germany), and rising challengers (China, India, & the EU).
In fact, the brevity and clarity of Day of Empire is completely refreshing. Most academics could wax lyrically for hundreds (if not thousands) of pages about each of these hyperpowers…yet Amy Chua manages to collate a satisfying & concise presentation of ideas, combined with a writing style that flows like a mountain stream. It’s an addictive read, and as a primer for an immeasurably large topic, it’s absolutely first class scholarship. If I had the budget, I would ensure this became required reading for any senior history student.
Until then…run out and buy yourself a copy of Day of Empire. In this uncertain day and age, in a world full of pseudo-imperial rivals, it’s worth the read.
