So Cere, over from Albion made a couple awesome essays on imperailism, so I asked if I could repost them. I really enjoyed reading them, and I suggest you read them too.
http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=219925
http://w11.zetaboards.com/The_Realm_of_Albion/topic/8842608/1/#new