empire news stories on Newser

In Afghanistan, We Fight and Die, China Wins

Harry Kimball — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:11:00 CDT

American and Chinese interests seem to be conveniently aligned in Afghanistan, writes Robert D. Kaplan. By securing the country, NATO forces have allowed China access to vast mineral deposits and trade routes to the Indian Ocean. In turn, Chinese companies employ Afghan workers, stabilizing the economy and hence the nation....

Napoleon's Novella Reveals His Sappy Side

Ambreen Ali — Tue, 12 May 2009 15:23:01 CDT

Before Napoleon the ruthless emperor came Napoleon the romance-writing softy—and his masterpiece is due out in English this fall. Clisson and Eugenie is a novella about a triumphant soldier who returns home to marry his lady—of the same name as Napoleon’s first love. The manuscript, penned when Napoleon...

Brits Tortured Obama Patriarch in Kenya Revolt

Jason Farago — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:09:01 CST

British jailers tortured Barack Obama's grandfather during the struggle for Kenyan independence, his family tells the Times of London. Hussein Onyango Obama, who worked as a cook for a British army officer, was arrested in 1949, aged 56, and imprisoned for two years. There he was subjected to daily whippings...

Whatevs, Ma: Anti-Martha Builds Empire

Victoria Floethe — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:50:01 CDT

Whatever, Martha !, in which Alexis Stewart and a pal riff over episodes of her mother’s TV shows, is the opening of the latest chapter in the pair’s unusual relationship, Andrew Goldman writes in New York . Alexis, 42, is surprisingly vulgar for being raised by a domestic diva. “My media training...

Jean-Georges Has Appetite for Empire

Victoria Floethe — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:00:00 CDT

Jean-Georges Vongerichten has been busy indeed outside the kitchen—too busy, in the minds of some. In the next 5 years, the restaurateur plans to open between 30 and 50 new establishments in Starwood Hotels worldwide. The dramatic move, brokered by a private-equity firm, will make consistency a challenge and...

One Day, the World Will Hate Him

Jonas Oransky — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:40:33 CDT

Should he win the White House, the rest of the world will one day see Barack Obama as a villain, David Aaronovitch writes in the London Times. The spectacle of empire and popularity drives the country's allies to both anger and envy, he argues, and every American president has come...

Is America Rome?

NewsDude — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:28:02 CDT

The Roman Emperor Valerian was taken captive by the Persian king, who is reputed to have used him as a footstool for mounting his horse, notes Adam Goodheart in his essay on the similarities of Rome and America. This happened in Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq. Could that part of...