America enjoys view from the top

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Part one of five

"A country that makes a film like 'Star Wars' deserves to rule the world."

-- Philip Adams, former chairman of the Australian Film Commission

Love it, hate it, embrace it, deny it, American power, American influence and American values are the defining features of today's interconnected world.

Questions of an American "empire" -- whether we have one, whether we want one, whether we can afford or keep one -- aren't just the white-hot topic of the day among statesmen and political scientists.

The world really is becoming more "American."

The pervasive pull of American ideals, popular culture and media, and economic opportunity works in mysterious counterpoint, and not always harmoniously, with overwhelming U.S. military might and diplomatic clout.

This pull is felt in every corner of the globe in the age of Google, Michael Jordan, Eminem and SpongeBob SquarePants.