The Empire Reloaded presents essays an the inner dynamics of US-led global capitalism, the financial and cultural webs that bind the empire, and the impact of the new imperialism throughout the world, from Russia and China to Africa, South-East Asia, Western Europe and Latin America. This companion volume to the bestselling Socialist Register 2004, The New Imperial Challenge, asks:Is the US model of capitalism stable, or riven with acute contradictions? Are the horrors envisaged by Huxley and Orwell now becoming reality in the US?How does the US state direct and discipline the global financial System? What is the significance of the ballooning US balance of payments deficit? Is the dominance of finance in the US economy a sign of weakness or of strength?Is the European Union a superior model of capitalism, or even a potential rival? Is the 'spirit of Bandung' a valid formula for the anti-globalisation movement, or one that lends itself to cooptation by elites in the South? Could the 'national bourgeoisies' of the South spearhead projects for democratic national development?How is global food production organised today? Is it sustainable? What is the role of the US media industry, and of Hollywood, in promoting and articulating US supremacy?