Moral Imperialism & the Empire for Liberty

Noted historian Paul Johnson's essay "From the Evil Empire to the Empire for Liberty" is worth a read (thanks, Pejman). His definition of 'Empire' is historically correct, highly relevant to America and its future, and not at all what you think. Along the way, he also answers Michael Totten's need for a word to replace "colonialism" with respect to intervention in places like the Congo. How about "moral imperialsm?" Take this revealing anecdote from our past:

"One area where moral imperialism was active was the Persian Gulf. In Arabia, slavery and slaving were endemic, run by the fierce Wahhabi religious sect, whose leaders were the forebears of the Saudi ruling family. The Wahhabis also sponsored piracy in the Indian Ocean, threatening Britain’s trade with India. From the first decade of the nineteenth century, Britain made allies of the Gulf States, such as Bahrain, Qatar, and Muscat, which resisted Wahhabi encroachment, and these allies provided footholds for a local form of moral imperialism which lasted into the oil age."

Of course, that was a couple hundred years ago, and couldn't possibly be relevant to events today. Johnson's essay is a fascinating journey through our history, from the Greek city states to Britain's empire, America's founding as a child and inheritor of imperialsm, the growth of the Anglosphere, and our challenges post-Sept. 11th.

UPDATE: Michael Totten responds. Still not satisifed, but emails to say I'm one of the best in the blogosphere for bouncing ideas off of. Thanks! Caerdroia also has some good thoughts, and Abiola has a term of his own to suggest.

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