Eric Hobsbawm

Current US megalomania is rooted in the Puritan colonists' certainties

Yes, and I am afraid what has been happening in the Middle East rather supports this view. My view at the time was that a group of neo-conservative Americans took this opportunity to, in effect, put forward their claim for world hegemony, world domination.

The U.S.A. promises greater openness to talent, to energy, to novelty than other worlds.

Amerikalıların mevcut hâkimiyetinin daha ne kadar süreceğini kestirebilmek imkânsız. Kesinlikle emin olabileceğimiz bir şey varsa, diğer bütün imparatorluklar gibi, onun da tarihsel olarak geçici bir fenomen olacağı...

For those with an understanding of the ambitions and history of previous empires -and their inevitable decline- the present behaviour of the United States is familiar and yet unprecedented.