Great article from one of my favorite writers, Harvard historian, Niall Ferguson.  Ferguson is unabashedly pro Anglo-Saxon and Pro- British (and by extension American) empire.  He believes that a liberal (classically referred to) empire can bring much to the darker parts of the world.  He has written tremendous books like Empire (on the British Empire), Colossus (on America ’s need to more rigorously embrace a proto, liberal imperial stance), and War of the World (a tour du force on the origins of 20^th Century warfare and conflict).  This article asks what was the much famed Marshall Plan and did it accomplish its goals?  Ferguson posits that in many ways it did, but not necessarily in the way in which it is generally perceived to have done.  Mostly, the Marshall Plan helped limit currency volatility and labor unrest while really showing American benevolence.  In a nutshell, it did help economically, though Europe would have recovered without it, but the Marshall Plan’s true success was in showcasing American goodwill.