In their international bestseller "Empire," Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri presented a grand unified vision of a world where old forms of imperialism no longer function and nation-states, even the most powerful ones, are forced to cede a large part of their sovereignty to a supranational, multidimensional network of power, the Empire.

But what happens in an era of "American empire"? Many argue that the unilateral war of the US against terrorism proves that old-school imperialism remains strong. In "Multitude," Hardt and Negri argue exactly the opposite: the dismal failures of American plans confirm that using tools from a previous historical phase to address contemporary problems is precisely the recipe for increasing conflict, insecurity, and instability. The only way for the rich and powerful to maintain their interests and guarantee global order is to establish a broad cooperation among sovereign powers in a new form of Empire. However, such an imperial peace is not at all the solution for the vast majority of the world: it is based on a universal condition of violence that gradually permeates all aspects of society, exacerbating hierarchies and undermining traditional possibilities for democratic exchanges.

Has fear become the permanent condition of our lives and democracy an unattainable dream? According to the authors, such pessimism is completely mistaken. By colonizing and interconnecting more fields of life in ever greater depth, the Empire actually creates the possibility of a new kind of democracy. Converging into a globally interconnected community, diverse groups and individuals can combine in fluid matrices of resistance: no longer silent, oppressed "masses," they can form a multitude capable of charting an alternative democratic path in today's global order.

"What makes the reading of 'Empire' and 'Multitude' so exhilarating [...] is that we are dealing -one is almost tempted to say: they embody- with books that refer to an active global movement of anticapitalist resistance and function as its moment of theoretical reflection; behind their lines, one can smell and hear the scents and sounds of Seattle, Genoa, and the Zapatistas. Thus, their theoretical limits are simultaneously the limits of the movement itself."
(Slavoj Žižek)

"Hardt and Negri are an extremely rare breed: political theory writers who actually believe in the people, in the power and wisdom with which they can self-govern. The result is an inspired blend of realism and idealism."
(Naomi Klein, author of "The Shock Doctrine")

"Toni [Negri] and I use the term multitude in two basic ways, which contradict each other. Personally, I like contradictions, so this is not a problem. In one sense -and this was used more in 'Empire'- the multitude is an always-existing social force that insists on its own freedom, refuses power, breaks its chains. On the other hand -and this is our tendency in the new book ['Multitude']- the multitude is a political project. The multitude has not yet existed."

The multitude could exist as a form of organization, something that could be created today. There is a concept of the multitude that is "always-already" and there is another that is "not yet."
(Michael Hardt, interview, "The Minnesota Review")

Two of the most active political philosophers in the world today, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, present vividly, both terrifying and hopeful, the reality of the global war and the possibility of a global democracy.