Pragmatism, democracy and imperialism

![CDATA[Through a paralled commentary on socialist internationalism, this chapter asks whether “democracy in one country” – the United States of America – is either feasible or compatible with the critical legacy of pragmatism. In its response to the growth of international terrorism, especially in its “liberation of Iraq”, the United States is in danger of becoming a “predatory democracy”. While Rorty has in the past argued that America cannot functions a global policeman, the trend of contemporary international relations is to create an American Empire. The chapter concludes by arguing that Rorty’s patriotism functions as “a final vocabulary” that contradicts his postmodernism and makes it difficult for modern pragmatism to remain a critical theory.]]