Post-Colonialism and The Pitfalls of Projecting Power in the Modern World

James K Galbraith wrote this interesting column at MoJo.com about how the modern age curtails the effective projection of colonial power. People are still the same. On (re)reading Machiavelli's The Prince, you will be startled by how much of his commentary and advice will ring true in completely different contexts five centuries later: office politics, family relationships, non-profit organizations--the struggle for power and influence is ever-present, and the means to consolidate it effectively in many ways remain unchanged.

But in the context of projecting colonial power and global hegemony, the world has changed dramatically and old paradigms can no longer be applied. One would think that the immediacy of global personal communication, the accessibility of intercontinental travel, and the instantaneous coverage of the media would complement a strategy to project power on a global scale. Not so according to Galbraith. Happy reading.