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2024 is not 1914. Nonetheless, imperialism was the dominant system then, as it is now. A century ago, several neo-mercantilist imperial powers vied to establish primacy over the others. Our era is one of planetary imperialism and globalized capitalism where one power, the U.S., already exercises hegemony over all. No other, including China and Russia, has the need or the capacity to replace it. We are not faced with relatively equal adversaries facing off, as in WW1, but with one hegemonic power trying desperately, by and all means, to cling to its world-wide domination. Herein lies the source of the major tensions and conflicts in the world today. Since the fall of the Soviet Bloc, the term " imperialism" has largely disappeared from public discourse, but reality is forcing it back. Saul shows how crucial it is to understanding what is happening today.
About the author
Samir Saul is a full professor of international history at the Université de Montré al. He has taught and supervised many graduate students for over three decades, with a concentration on modern France and the Arab world. Holding a doctorate in history from the University of Paris, he has published dozens of scholarly articles and many on current world crises for a broad public. He has published to major studies on France in Africa and the Middle East. Samir Saul lives in Montreal.
