This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“Along with the global market and
global circuits of production has emerged a global order, a new logic and
structure of rule – in short, a new form of sovereignty. Empire is the political subject that
effectively regulates these global exchanges, the sovereign power that governs
the world.” – Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Preface, Page xi
“Some call this situation “governance without government” to
indicate the structural logic, at times imperceptible but always and
increasingly effective, that sweeps all actors within the order of the
whole. The systemic totality has a
dominant position in the global order, breaking resolutely with every previous
dialectic and developing an integration of actors that seems linear and
spontaneous.” – Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Chapter 1.1: World Order, Page
14
“The revolting masses, their desire for liberation, their
experiments to construct alternatives, and their instances of constituent power
have all at their best moments pointed toward the internationalization and
globalization of relationships, beyond the divisions of nation, colonial, and
imperialist rule.” – Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Chapter 1.3: Alternatives
Within Empire, Pages 42-43
Is This An Overview?
Empire is a form of sovereign power that governs
globalization. The global economic and
cultural exchanges. The sovereignty of
nation-states has declined due to an inability to govern economic and cultural
exchanges. The sovereignty of
nation-states is being replaced by a sovereignty composed of national and
supranational institutions. Empire does
not mean imperialism, and does not establish a territorial center of
power. Empire’s governance is
decentralized.
Empires seek to be inclusive to different values, to
different people. Creating methods for
negotiating a perpetual and universal peace.
The empire’s justification for the use of force, is to use force in the
service of resolving humanitarian problems, and imposing peace. Empire is brought into being by the capacity
to resolve conflicts. Through empire,
people have been overcoming repressive political and economic methods. Through empire, people have been
experimenting with alternative methods of liberty, while seeking international
cohesion. The power of empires comes
from making people more productive.
Caveats?
This book can be difficult to read. Difficult because of the way the authors
explain the ideas, using a myriad of philosophical and historic
references. The references are provided
a short description, but read like jargon meant for those who already know the
references. References that could be
interpreted differently based on what details have been added or left out.
