Threads of the empire
By Bert Adema

BOOK REVIEW: Ronald Wright, What is America? A Short History of the New World Order. Alfred A. Knopf Publishing, 2008. List price: C$32.95.

Early in this concise historical review, Ronald Wright observes, "It is said that indigenous Americans can live with themselves only by remembering the past, and white Americans only by forgetting it" (p. 15). Wright then goes on to highlight those stories that have forged the modern world empire that we know as the United States of America.

Wright's preparatory notes for this documentation of the rise of the modern American empire include, among other writings, Stolen Continents: 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas (2005) and his 2004 Massey lectures A Short History of Progress.

This book is not a celebration of the conquests that have led to American domination of the modern world, but rather an unflinching challenge of European arrogance, untamed capitalism, unabashed nationalism, and the refusal to acknowledge historical wrongs. For those who are either uncomfortable with his assertions or wish to explore events in further detail, Wright generously provides voluminous footnotes and an extensive bibliography equal to almost half of his narrative.

Wright reminds the readers that most American histories begin with the period of colonization—to the neglect of the peoples and civilizations that preceded European settlements. Chapter 4, "Religion and Profit Jump Together," provides an excellent summary of the abuse of religion for conquest and profit in the demonization and dislocation of indigenous peoples. He reminds the readers of the deceit of clergymen like Samuel Purchas, who described the new world as "an unmanned wild Countrey" that the Indians "range rather than inhabite," and Cotton Mather's approval of the slaughter of the sleeping inhabitants of Mystic, Connecticut in 1637.

In 1988, while in Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz, the American destroyer Vincennes accidentally shot down an Iranian airliner, causing the death of 290 civilians. Shortly thereafter, then Vice-President George H. Bush stated that, "I never apologize for the United States of America. I don't care what the facts are." It may be that that he will never read What Is America? If, however, you are interested in understanding the threads that have forged the themes of the modern American empire, then Wright is right for you.

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