The Disjunctive Empire of International Relations

In this title the author explores the meaning of imperial power, as exemplified by the US, in international relations. Rather than concentrating on power in terms of military and economic strength, the author shifts the focus towards the cultural power that exists.

---

Yew imparts that contemporary forms of imperialism revolve around a disjunctive logic allowing cultural, civilizing and solipsistic feelings of classical European imperialism to interoperate with newer and "morally-rectified" strains of American superpower dominance. In order to explore how such an interoperability is possible, this book begins with a theoretical overview of how imperialism should be conceptualized, how it operates and how it produces a type of economy that allows it to evolve in accordance with historical transformations without losing sight of its ongoing emphasis of Western hegemony. It provides a theoretical foundation that is crucial to understanding how an ambivalent form of US imperialism is constituted, leading to the inability within American society to effectively handle non-state political opposition. There are therefore a number of intended readerships which include researchers and academics interested in new ways of thinking about imperialism and international relations and a wider audience in cultural studies, postcolonial studies and critical theory.