Empire: The Brief. An exclusive documentary on aljazeera.com
Sometimes it seems like the world does not quite know what to make of the US. Is it the world's policeman, an imperial power out for its own interests or a force for good, an empire only by invitation?
Nowhere are these questions more pressing than in the Middle East and nowhere more acute than in Syria.
If Bashar al-Assad stays so does the secret police and the torture. But, if he goes, what follows and who is responsible?
As the world's sole superpower, should the US act? What are the consequences if it does, and what if it doesn't?
Did Washington's dealings over a possible intervention in Syria represent a swing of the pendulum from hubris to modesty?
In this web-exclusive documentary, Empire examines the history of the US' expansion as an empire, exploring its role in the world and asking: Is the US a reluctant empire, straddling a fine line between what it feels duty-bound to accomplish overseas and the hopes of its own citizens, or a shrinking power grasping for influence in a world where other players, such as Russia and China, insist upon taking their seat at the helm?
www.aljazeera.com/empire
