I would suggest that Australia's Free Trade Agreement with the US offers us a way to evaluate Hardt & Negri's conception of Empire. This is an economic document that goes beyond the liberalization of trade, as it addresses culture, medicine, the integration of the two economies and regional relationships in the Asia Pacific region.
So it is about shaping an economy and society, the conduct of a population, resistance to empire and the capacity of the nation state.
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at June 20, 2004 06:17 PM | TrackBack