America's Imperial Ambition The concepts emerging from the Bush administration's war on terrorism form a neo imperial vision in which the United States arrogates to itself the global role of setting standards, determining threats and using force. These radical ideas could transform today's world order in a way that the end of the Cold War did not. The administration's approach is fraught with peril and likely to fail. If history is any guide, it will trigger resistance that will leave America in a more hostile and divided world