Historians have long debated the rise and fall of empires. To date, however, no one has studied the far rarer phenomenon of hyperpowers--those few societies that amassed such extraordinary military and economic might that they essentially dominated the world. Here, globalization expert Chua explains how hyperpowers rise and why they fall. She examines history's hyperpowers--Persia, Rome, Tang China, the Mongols, the Dutch, the British, and the United States--and reveals the reasons behind their success, as well as the roots of their ultimate demise. For all their differences, she argues, every one of these world-dominant powers was, at least by the standards of its time, extraordinarily pluralistic and tolerant, succeeding by harnessing the skills and energies of individuals from very different backgrounds. But Chua also uncovers a great historical irony: in virtually every instance, multicultural tolerance eventually sowed the seeds of decline, and diversity became a liability. --From publisher description.