Those who forget historiography are doomedto republish it: empire, imperialism andcontemporary debates about American power

A growing number of scholars, commentators, and pundits describe the contemporaryUS as an empire. This article argues that these authors have not paid sufficientattention to the historiography of empire and imperialism. Indeed, the historiography of theBritish and American empires offers important lessons for current debates including whatis the appropriate definition of the American empire, what are the social and politicalfoundations of the American Empire, and what are the consequences of the American Empirefor the US and the wider world.