US Imperialism in the 21st Century

Conference, December 5, 2003

Casa Italiana, Columbia University

Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, the US declared a
global "War on Terrorism" and increased its powers of repression at
home and intervention abroad.

This one-day conference aims to: explain the political and economic
causes of the perpetual US drive for global domination; assess its
impact on the US and the rest of the world, especially on Africa,
Europe, and the Middle East; and scrutinize new forms of anti-war
activism, challenge, and opposition.

Our main objective is to critically examine both the strengths and
weaknesses of 'War on Terrorism' as a strategy for US global
supremacy and the resistances it has generated.8:30-9:30am Breakfast Reception

9:30am Opening Remarks by Bashir Abu-Manneh & Hamid Dabashi

9:45am-1200pm The Politics and Economics of Expansion

Chair: Vivek Chibber (NYU)

Panelists:

David Harvey (CUNY) "From Globalization to the New Imperialism"

Gerard Dumenil (Universite Paris X-Nanterre) "Neoliberal Dynamics-
Imperial Dynamics"

Ellen Wood (York University, Canada) "War Without End"

Robert Buzzanco (University of Houston) "Cracks in the Empire"

12:00-2:00pm : Lunch Reception

2-4:15pm Imperial Geopolitical Relations

Chair: Rashid Khalidi (Columbia University)

Panelists:

Peter Gowan (London Metropolitan University, UK) "American Primacy: How
to Triumph to Disaster"

Gilbert Achcar (University of Paris-VIII) "The Middle East in
Washington's
Strategy for World Hegemony"

Irene Gendzier (Boston University) "Has the US Agenda in the Middle
East Changed?"

Mahmood Mamdani (Columbia University) "Africa and the Origins of
Terror in the Cold War"

4:15-5pm Coffee and Tea Break

5-7:15pm Solidarity and Anti-Imperialism

Chair: Partha Chatterjee (Columbia University)

Panelists:

Mike Davis (U.C. Irvine) "The Urbanization of Empire: Megacities and
the Laws of Chaos"

Akeel Bilgrami (Columbia University) "Democracy, Solidarity, and
Conflict"

Frances Fox Piven (CUNY) "Counter Movements: Globalization and
Protest"

Rahul Mahajan (Empire Notes) "What do Iraq and Venezuela Have in
Common? Building a Movement Against U.S. Imperialism

(Sponsored by the Center for Comparative Literature and Society &
by the Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures)

Imperialism