Culture and Imperialism

Turning away from Europe to put the spotlight on America, Said discusses the build-up to the Gulf War of 1991. As the world’s last superpower, in Said’s view, America now occupies the rarefied space that was formerly held by Britain and, to a lesser degree, France. The difference between the old imperial order and the new American ascendancy is one of rhetoric: “No matter what the United States does, these authorities [government, military, cultural pundits] often do not want it to be an imperial order like the others it followed, preferring instead the notion of ‘world responsibility’ for what it does” (285). Said notes that, in addition to the official version of America’s role in the world, there has been a near unanimous consensus among intellectuals and other cultural figures in supporting that ideology. While there may be a few dissenting voices, America’s imperial power—which is rarely called that and which always seeks to justify itself in the name of bringing law and freedom to the rest of the world—is rarely questioned. Said employs a metaphor, using Ahab from Moby Dick, to illustrate America’s sense of itself: “Captain Ahab is an allegorical representation of the American world quest; he is obsessed, compelling, unstoppable, completely wrapped up in his own rhetorical justification and his sense of cosmic symbolism” (288).