KEYNOTE
 Paul Kennedy
One of the world’s most respected and provocative historians, Paul Kennedy challenges us with the weight and implications of our history to confront the problems humanity faces in the 21st Century. Kennedy is the J. Richardson Dilworth Professor of History at Yale University and Director of Yale’s International Security Studies Program.
His books include: the bestselling and influential The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (1987), Preparing for the 21st Century (1993), and the forthcoming The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present and Future of the United Nations (June 20, 2006).
SPEAKERS
 Wayne A. Cornelius
Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Theodore E. Gildred Professor of U.S.-Mexican Relations, and Founding Director, Center for Comparative Immigration Studies, University of California-San Diego (UCSD); author of Controlling Immigration: A Global Perspective (2004).
 Gary Hart
Wirth Chair, Graduate School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado-Denver; Co-Chair, U.S. Commission on National Security; former U.S. Senator (1975-1987); author of numerous books, including The Shield and the Cloak: The Security of the Commons (2006) and God and Caesar in America: An Essay on Religion and Politics (2005).
 William E. Odom
Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Ret.); Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute; Professor, Yale University; former Director, National Security Agency (1985-1988); author of eight books, including America’s Inadvertent Empire (with Robert Dujarric) (2004).
SEMINAR OVERVIEW
The world has seen many empires – over sixty by one count. Some have lasted for centuries. Others, only decades. But so far, none have survived intact. Does this history of inevitable empirical collapse have meaning to America today? Do the factors that ended empires of the past threaten American hegemony today? How do modern factors like globalization, immigration and resource scarcity figure into the equation?
It used to be said that the sun never set on the British Empire. A century ago, Britannia ruled not only the waves, but Canada, Australia, the Indian subcontinent, large parts of Africa, and significant portions of the Middle East. Its economy, commerce, manufacturing capacity and military prowess were without parallel, as were its cultural and literary establishments. Now, of course, this has changed. The British Empire is gone. While Great Britain remains a significant economic power, its Gross Domestic Product ranks just seventh in the world, behind not only the United States, but also China, France, its erstwhile enemies Germany and Japan, and even its former colony India.
What happened? Well, two world wars, of course. In addition, the Empire suffered the loss of captive markets, cheap labor and abundant natural resources. The decline of a manufacturing economy, replaced by a service-based one, increased competition not only from America and Asia, but also from Europe, and political isolation also played roles.
Could the same thing happen to America? Are we even an empire? Does it matter? A substantial and growing number of writers and commentators believe just that – that America is an empire facing the same sorts of threats that have brought down every empire before.
Despite the United States’ unchallenged position as the world’s only superpower, most Americans shy away from the word “empire,” claiming that, without direct rule over large-scale conquered territory, the label just doesn’t fit. But are colonial outposts still an essential component of “empire” in the 21st century? Does modern “nation building” fill the same role that colonies did in the past? Or, does America’s economic and military might constitute a new kind of empire?
Wherever one comes down on this issue of “American Empire,” few can dispute that we stand astride the world like the empires of yore. Yet, all of those empires are now gone. Does American hegemony face the same threats that brought down those empires?
What issues challenge American dominance? Globalization and immigration, to name two. Have these twin forces, through their dramatic alteration of the traditional flow of economic and human capital across national borders, changed the rules of the global power game? Do they threaten American hegemony?
Globalization is obviously beneficial insofar as it brings us cheaper and more readily available products. But what about the damage done stateside by exporting American jobs, and even entire industries, abroad? Even now, globalization threatens to subsume not only our manufacturing economy but also our service economy. Who has not called customer service for some seemingly domestic enterprise and found themselves talking to someone in Ireland or India? What’s the tradeoff between cheaper goods and lost jobs? Can we successfully defend our high labor costs even if we try? Either way, does globalization threaten American prosperity?
What about the interaction between globalization and immigration? Is there a disincentive for recent immigrants to assimilate into American culture? Is this wise? What burdens do newcomers impose upon our educational and political processes? Do the estimated eleven million illegal immigrants in the U.S. comprise a growing underclass of subsistence wage earners or do they constitute an essential U.S. labor force? Given our porous borders, what, if anything, should be done? If we don’t do anything, will it threaten American dominance?
Of course, other threats appear on the horizon. Can the U.S. sustain its dominant position for the foreseeable future or will our penchant for unilateral action provoke position too broad-based to be ignored? Will American hegemony protect us from the threat of dwindling natural resources, especially energy producing resources? Or, will the American empire crash upon the rocks of resource wants as so many empires have before?
These questions lie at the heart of the 15th Annual Seminar discussion. We hope you will join us in Vail from Thursday, June 22 through Sunday, June 25, 2006 for this vibrant conversation.
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