Introduction: The Ozymandias syndrome
The prism of history. The idea of progress
Globalization and the end of history
The clash of civilizations
Isolation and intervention
The elusive new order. The triumph of Wilsonism
An era born in blood. The neoconservatives
The real world. Ghosts of Mithridates
Conservative interventionism
Conclusion. Disavowing the crusader state.
