Eric Grynaviski, an associate professor of political science and international affairs, has written “The Price of Empire: American Entrepreneurs and the Origins of America’s First Pacific Empire.” The new book provides a theory of American expansion in the Pacific that highlights the role of American entrepreneurs.
Through novel, intriguing stories of American small businessmen, this book shows how American entrepreneurs manipulated the United States into pursuing imperial projects in the Pacific. It explores their travels abroad and highlights the consequences of contemporary struggles for justice in the Pacific. Grynaviski's research interests include studying international security and U.S. foreign policy from sociological and ethical perspectives. He has previously published “Constructive Illusions,” which won the Jervis-Schroeder Best Book Award, and “America's Middlemen,” which won the Best Book from the Foreign Policy Section of the American Political Science Association.