3 ms·

Where are the modern borders in this parallel? I suppose the US borders on Canada and Mexico, but it would be rather impolite to refer to their people as barbar

by Thiez 8y ago

Where are the modern borders in this parallel? I suppose the US borders on Canada and Mexico, but it would be rather impolite to refer to their people as barbarians, and defense from the attacks of those countries is not where all the money is going. I'm just an outsider in this matter, but it looks a lot like the US is spending money on offensive wars that it elects to engage in, rather than having to protect its borders from "the barbarians". So I don't really see the strong parallel.

pjc50 8y ago
The US "sphere of influence" goes far beyond its physical borders. The borders of this ""empire"" are places like the eastern border of Poland and the Korean DMZ, as well as a complex set of partial influences in the Middle East.
CapricornNoble 8y ago
The borders of the US Empire are not physical. They are financial. It all revolves around the Petrodollar system ( https://youtu.be/JN5q_0H41VE https://youtu.be/JN5q_0H41VE or any other "Petrodollar explained" video on YT). Basically the US cut a deal with the Saudis decades ago "price your oil only in US dollars and we'll support your monarchy". Bottom line is that any industrial nation that needs energy must hold US dollars to purchase oil, which vastly inflates global demand for dollars, artificially supporting our currency and also essentially acting as a tax on the global economy. US hegemony is essentially reliant on the US military keeping everyone else in line with regards to oil pricing as well as central banking. Consider: Saddam Hussein ditched USD for EUR in 2000 ( https://www.theguardian.com/business/2003/feb/16/iraq.theeuro https://www.theguardian.com/business/2003/feb/16/iraq.theeur... ). Deposed in 2003. Iran opened a non-dollar-denominated oil burse in 2008. Promptly sanctioned and eventually cut off from the SWIFT banking system. ( https://apjjf.org/-China-Hand-/2719/article.html https://apjjf.org/-China-Hand-/2719/article.html ) Invasion was discussed. Remember McCain's "Bomb bomb Iran" moment? But the US military was already overstretched and in no position to crack open Iran (a MUCH tougher nut than Iraq or Afghanistan). Qaddafi wanted to create a new pan-African currency, starting in Libya with gold/oil-backed dinars. Deposed in 2011. ( https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-emails-reveal-true-motive-for-libya-intervention/ https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-... ) Some websites have argued that after Ukraine's revolution all their gold reserves disappeared as well, possibly into US/European hands. I haven't found super-reliable data on that though. Point is, these are the borders of the empire, one that is maintained by the global distribution of US military might, as well as international organizations such as the IMF. Before anyone can posit solutions to American's bank-busting spending on the military-industrial complex, you must first understand the hidden context of what really motivates American actions on the world stage.
TheCoelacanth 8y ago
An empire by definition has to include people who are not citizens of the dominant polity, otherwise it would be a nation rather than an empire. If you want to call the US an empire, Canada and Mexico would probably be considered part of the empire as would anywhere else that NATO or US corporations have large amounts of influence. The "barbarians"[1] would be those that actively avoid US influence like China, Russia and parts of the Middle East. [1] An unfair term, but it was also unfair when used by the Romans, so it is reasonable to use in this analogy

by Thiez 8y ago

pjc50 8y ago

The US "sphere of influence" goes far beyond its physical borders. The borders of this ""empire"" are places like the eastern border of Poland and the Korean DMZ, as well as a complex set of partial influences in the Middle East.

CapricornNoble 8y ago

The borders of the US Empire are not physical. They are financial. It all revolves around the Petrodollar system ( https://youtu.be/JN5q_0H41VE https://youtu.be/JN5q_0H41VE or any other "Petrodollar explained" video on YT). Basically the US cut a deal with the Saudis decades ago "price your oil only in US dollars and we'll support your monarchy". Bottom line is that any industrial nation that needs energy must hold US dollars to purchase oil, which vastly inflates global demand for dollars, artificially supporting our currency and also essentially acting as a tax on the global economy. US hegemony is essentially reliant on the US military keeping everyone else in line with regards to oil pricing as well as central banking. Consider: Saddam Hussein ditched USD for EUR in 2000 ( https://www.theguardian.com/business/2003/feb/16/iraq.theeuro https://www.theguardian.com/business/2003/feb/16/iraq.theeur... ). Deposed in 2003. Iran opened a non-dollar-denominated oil burse in 2008. Promptly sanctioned and eventually cut off from the SWIFT banking system. ( https://apjjf.org/-China-Hand-/2719/article.html https://apjjf.org/-China-Hand-/2719/article.html ) Invasion was discussed. Remember McCain's "Bomb bomb Iran" moment? But the US military was already overstretched and in no position to crack open Iran (a MUCH tougher nut than Iraq or Afghanistan). Qaddafi wanted to create a new pan-African currency, starting in Libya with gold/oil-backed dinars. Deposed in 2011. ( https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-emails-reveal-true-motive-for-libya-intervention/ https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/01/06/new-hillary-... ) Some websites have argued that after Ukraine's revolution all their gold reserves disappeared as well, possibly into US/European hands. I haven't found super-reliable data on that though. Point is, these are the borders of the empire, one that is maintained by the global distribution of US military might, as well as international organizations such as the IMF. Before anyone can posit solutions to American's bank-busting spending on the military-industrial complex, you must first understand the hidden context of what really motivates American actions on the world stage.

TheCoelacanth 8y ago

An empire by definition has to include people who are not citizens of the dominant polity, otherwise it would be a nation rather than an empire. If you want to call the US an empire, Canada and Mexico would probably be considered part of the empire as would anywhere else that NATO or US corporations have large amounts of influence. The "barbarians"[1] would be those that actively avoid US influence like China, Russia and parts of the Middle East. [1] An unfair term, but it was also unfair when used by the Romans, so it is reasonable to use in this analogy