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I think it is important to be introspective as a nation and overall I agree, but I also agree with others that the US has been far less empire-y than other empi

I think it is important to be introspective as a nation and overall I agree, but I also agree with others that the US has been far less empire-y than other empires have been, even if we've been equally stupid. I think it is time to work really hard to improve standards of living and education all over the world so that power can be distributed more evenly, but so much of the world is in the hands of even worse people that it will be hard to do that. Perhaps if there is not a true climate disaster things can move that way, otherwise I'm afraid it will go much worse and will become truly an every-country-for-itself model.

Jtsummers 10y ago
The US has behaved very differently than past empires, but still has been imperialistic. Ostensibly, we aren't an "empire" because we don't do things like establish governors over different places we conquer (and we, again ostensibly, don't conquer anyone). Instead we accomplish the same through the shadows. Encouraging certain dictatorships and coups, discouraging others. Wrecking nations through economic means when they step out of line (or attempt to). This is, in my opinion, much worse than the empires of old. We never control these things we create, which inevitably creates even greater hardship for the people dominated by the dictatorships and economic woes we inspired. And we publicly proclaim a desire for peace and democracy! If we were a proper empire, expanding our domain, we would have ended up bringing new states into our union. The people that we subjugated gaining the right to vote at some point in the future via statehood (initially coming in as territories or protectorates). But we don't want that. We won't the control and influence without the accountability of their votes. This forces people to vote against us via other means. Often violent. We then condemn their actions, which we inspired, and put down these actors, or attempt to, and claim a victory for peace and democracy.
- stcredzero 10y ago
  Ostensibly, we aren't an "empire" because we don't do things like establish governors over different places we conquer There's the Philippines.
  - Jtsummers 10y ago
    Right, and Puerto Rico (which became a territory rather than a protectorate). Most people forget about those. We also established some governance over regions captured during WWII and other conflicts, however temporary they may have been. But most of the "capturing territory" phase ended for the US prior to WWI, after that point control was established via less overt mechanisms (that is, no direct governorship, but we still had the military and economic means to direct them).
- greedo 10y ago
  Hawaii. Puerto Rico. Guam. The Philippines.
  - Jtsummers 10y ago
    Also everything after the first 13 colonies. I was more referring to recent (past 50 or so years) history.

Jtsummers 10y ago

The US has behaved very differently than past empires, but still has been imperialistic. Ostensibly, we aren't an "empire" because we don't do things like establish governors over different places we conquer (and we, again ostensibly, don't conquer anyone). Instead we accomplish the same through the shadows. Encouraging certain dictatorships and coups, discouraging others. Wrecking nations through economic means when they step out of line (or attempt to). This is, in my opinion, much worse than the empires of old. We never control these things we create, which inevitably creates even greater hardship for the people dominated by the dictatorships and economic woes we inspired. And we publicly proclaim a desire for peace and democracy! If we were a proper empire, expanding our domain, we would have ended up bringing new states into our union. The people that we subjugated gaining the right to vote at some point in the future via statehood (initially coming in as territories or protectorates). But we don't want that. We won't the control and influence without the accountability of their votes. This forces people to vote against us via other means. Often violent. We then condemn their actions, which we inspired, and put down these actors, or attempt to, and claim a victory for peace and democracy.

stcredzero 10y ago
Ostensibly, we aren't an "empire" because we don't do things like establish governors over different places we conquer There's the Philippines.
- Jtsummers 10y ago
  Right, and Puerto Rico (which became a territory rather than a protectorate). Most people forget about those. We also established some governance over regions captured during WWII and other conflicts, however temporary they may have been. But most of the "capturing territory" phase ended for the US prior to WWI, after that point control was established via less overt mechanisms (that is, no direct governorship, but we still had the military and economic means to direct them).
greedo 10y ago
Hawaii. Puerto Rico. Guam. The Philippines.
- Jtsummers 10y ago
  Also everything after the first 13 colonies. I was more referring to recent (past 50 or so years) history.