Zachem i kak sozdavalis' imperii? V chem osobennost' narodov, sumevshikh obrazovat' imperii? Vozmozhny li imperii v budushchem? Kakovy segodnya perspektivy Rossii v vossozdanii imperskoy struktury? Kniga posvyashchena analizu sushchnosti imperiy na primerakh Rimskoy, Vizantiyskoy, Britanskoy, Rossiyskoy i Sovetskoy. S pozitsiy tsentral'nykh printsipov imperiy razbirayutsya formy kolonizatsii prisoedinennykh territoriy, praktika mezhnatsional'nykh otnosheniy. V knige otrazheny voprosy mezhimperskogo vzaimodeystviya i vozmozhnosti zaimstvovaniya tekh ili inykh imperskikh form s psikhologicheskoy i geopoliticheskikh tochek zreniya. Etnopsikhologiya i kul'turologiya vot glavnye klyuchi k problemam, podcherknuta kul'turnaya obuslovlennost' vektorov imperskoy ekspansii. Nebezynteresny sovsem eshche nedavnie rezul'taty sotsiologicheskikh issledovaniy po takim ostrym i zhivotrepeshchushchim voprosam, kak "druzhba narodov" i mezhnatsional'nye konflikty v SNG. Avtor ne obeshchaet beskonfliktnogo budushchego. No konflikty mogut stat' funktsional'nymi, sodeystvuyushchimi dal'neyshemu progressu. Kniga mozhet byt' interesna ne tol'ko istorikam, kul'turologam, sotsiologam, politologam, no i shirokomu krugu chitateley.