'Hmm, well things aren't going too swimmingly for the Bushies now, and their stubborn unilateralism is part of the problem. So maybe the critique of Empire also needs a rethink.'
To which I have to say that I can well believe that US triumphalism did not last (indeed I think it is a prejudice of Euro-chauvinism that sees it much stronger than it is). But I am not so ready to believe that the US's 'stubborn unilateralism' is part of the problem. Bush walked all over Europe, which was incapable of doing anything about it. If he has problems, they are his own.
Incidentally 'unilateralism' is a bit of a myth, too. The 'coalition of the willing' was premised upon forcing allies to join in the action, but on US terms. The whole point is to re-cast the character of international cooperation more precisely in US interests (just as every player seeks to re-cast it in their own interests).
-- James Heartfield