ἡ ἀρχή , imperium , empire

1. ἡ ἀρχή, imperium, empire What are Thayer’s main arguments and do they stand up to scrutiny? What are Layne’s main arguments and do they stand up to scrutiny?

2. Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War 2.63: Pericles’ last speech “Then it is right and proper for you to support the imperial dignity of Athens. This is something in which you all take pride, and you cannot continue to enjoy the privileges unless you also shoulder the burdens of empire. And do not imagine that what we are fighting for is simply the question of freedom or slavery [i.e., if we should fall under the hegemony of Sparta]; there is also involved the loss of our empire and the dangers arising from the hatred which we have incurred in administering it …. Your empire [ἀρχή – arché] is now like a tyranny [τυραννίς –tyrannís]: it may have been wrong to take it; it is certainly dangerous to let it go.” δημοκρατία

3. Vergil Aeneid1.277-278 “Here shall Hector's race have kingly power for 300 years; till a priestess queen, conceiving with Mars, bears twin offspring; then Romulus, nursed by a she-wolf and proudly clad in tawny wolf-skin mantle, shall receive the sceptre of his race. He shall elevate his people and bestow on his Romans his own name.” “To these I give no limited times or power, but empire without end [imperium sine fine].” SenatusPopulusqueRomanus

4. On the British Empire … "On her dominions the sun never sets; before his evening rays leave the spires of Quebec, his morning beams have shone three hours on Pork Jackson [i.e., Sydney, Australia], and while sinking from the waters of Lake Superior, his eye opens upon the Mouth of the Ganges [in India]” (“The British Empire,” Caledonian Mercury, 1821). "Look at the British Colonial empire – the most magnificent empire that the world ever saw. The old Spanish boast that the sun never set in their dominions, has been more truly realised amongst ourselves” (Sir Henry Ward, Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, 1839). For God and the Empire / Dieu et Mon Droit (“God and my Right”)

5. On the American Empire … “The American Empire is fully in keeping with the Founding Fathers’ dreams for America …. The empire Americans have worked hard to create can last well into the future, but only if the American people want it to persevere …. The American Empire should be valued by the American people largely because of the enormous good it does for America and the honorable and goodhearted actions it undertakes for the world …. But when the sun sets on the American Empire, we will acknowledge that the world was the better for having it” (B.A. Thayer, American Empire: A Debate [Routledge, 2007], 46-47). “American Empire is a failed strategy. The time has come for the United States to adopt a new grand strategy that will avoid the errors of Empire, and actually enhance – rather than weaken – American security” (C. Layne, American Empire: A Debate [Routledge, 2007], 96).

6. Prepare to debate! Needed: one moderator, three judges, two teams of eight debaters each, and rules of engagement

7. Today’s tasks … • Identify the moderator and three judges … • who will determine the rules of engagement in next Monday’s debate and the criteria for assessing the successful position • Assign randomly the rest of the Seminar to one of two teams: • the United States’ imperial strategy is sound and should persevere, and we should learn from the history of past empires • the United States’ imperial strategy is a failure and should not persevere, and we should learn from the history of past empires • The two teams will then determine the strengths and main arguments in support of their respective positions • 17.11, Wed.: all three groups will determine the weaknesses of each of the two positions, drawing on Thayer’s (pp. 103-119) and Layne’s (pp. 120-127) replies to each other’s original essays

8. And so we conclude … • 22.11, Mon.: debate • 24.11, Wed.: no class. Use the time to prepare your final papers & presentations. • 29.11, Mon., & 1.12, Wed.: presentations • 2.12, Thurs.: papers due by 6pm