General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy People Are Organizing to End U.S. Empire
http://www.alternet.org/activism/why-people-are-organizing-end-us-empireWorld history is filled with empires, e.g. the Roman and Byzantine empires, the European colonial empires, various ancient Iranian empires, the Arab Caliphate and Ottoman Empire, the Soviet Union to name a few. These historic empires have one thing in common: they no longer exist. As the lifecycle of empire wanes, rather than being a benefit to the home country, sustaining empire becomes more expensive than it is worth.
While the US economy and military remain the largest in the world, the economy is faltering and losing its vitality. Chalmers Johnson, a CIA analyst who became a critic of the agency and author of a series on US Empire, writes:
Thirty-five years from now, America's official century of being top dog (1945-2045) will have come to an end; its time may, in fact, be running out right now. We are likely to begin to look ever more like a giant version of England at the end of its imperial run, as we come face-to-face with, if not necessarily to terms with, our aging infrastructure, declining international clout, and sagging economy.
The US began as a colony of European empires, especially of England, and then evolved into its own North American Empire. Thomas Jefferson called the United States an empire of Liberty when he purchased the Louisiana Territory in 1803. As Manifest Destiny took root, the US stole land of Indigenous peoples, appropriated Texas and Oregon and then went onto California. The Mexican War and Texas cessation took 55% of Mexicos pre-1836 territory including lands in present day California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming as well as Texas through its cession from Mexico.
The modern US Empire has its roots in the Spanish-American War when the US occupied Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines and in the two World Wars. Since World War II, the United States has been a growing global imperial power at warsomewhereevery year. Seymour Melman wrote in March of 2003: Now, at the start of the twenty-first century, every major aspect of American life is being shaped by our Permanent War Economy. This has been a prime cause of the hollowing out of the domestic economy.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
randome
(34,845 posts)If America isn't the prime mover of the economy and politics, then some other nation will step into the vacuum.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)randome
(34,845 posts)It's a poorly written article since the point -judging by the title- must be buried somewhere near the end. I don't give much credence to ramblers masquerading as writers.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Don't ever underestimate the long-term effects of a good night's sleep.[/center][/font][hr]
Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)although your personal projection of the statement is certainly understandable.
PosterChild
(1,307 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)that they will sell oil for currency other than the dollar and it will be over. This is the main reason we kiss Saudi ass- they are the big boys of OPEC.
randome
(34,845 posts)It's no longer as straight-forward as it used to be. That's a good thing. A world united -even if it's only in terms of money- keeps us all 'honest'.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]"If you're bored then you're boring." -Harvey Danger[/center][/font][hr]
sendero
(28,552 posts)... as an prediction of the inevitable. Because nothing of substance is going to change.
4dsc
(5,787 posts)Its sad that more people don't recognize the train wreck this world is headed for because we are simply going to be using far less resources than we have today with more people. We are going to add billions of more people in the next 30 years and world cannot provide adequate resources to take care of them.
Resources wars are already taking place although that's not what the headlines read.
Cyrano
(15,057 posts)that it's just a matter of time before almost every country in the world limits families to just one child. Population growth is the flip side of limited resouces.
Roy Serohz
(236 posts)But here we are, going the way of the Babylonians, Romans, British, etc.
old man 76
(228 posts)If one looks back at history all great countries have come to an end. In most cases this is not the end of the country only a move from the ultimate world power to just one of the normal countries in the world. Maybe hard to take but not so terrible either.
brush
(53,845 posts)occupying countries for resources and staging coups and/or assassinations since the 1890s when we sent gunboats to Hawaii at the behest of ex-pat American planters to overthrow the monarchy who had denied their demands for more land. Operations in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines soon followed ("Overthrow America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq" by Stephen Kinzer details it all).
My point is we've been doing dirt for corporate profits in the world for a lot longer time than since WWll. Add that to "Manifest Destiny" and all the dirt done on this continent and we've churned up a whole lot of negative energy that is bound to correct itself.
We do have one good thing going though, our demographics are changing which will displace the warmongers and their bought-and-paid-for legislators eventually with more sane foreign policy that leans towards diplomacy rather than troops and bombs (see Obama/Kerry).
It won't happen without a tumultuous upheaval here though as those who've exercised privilege and power since the country's founding won't give up without a fight. And this will all be exacerbated even more by our declining economic clout, stature and respect in the world. The vultures will be circling.
If we thought the 60s was a tumultuous time, look out for the 2020s and 2030s.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)and nothing has ever changed that.
Danascot
(4,694 posts)We spent our efforts, intellect and money on war and business at the expense of environment, education, science, healthcare, infrastructure and the like.
Bandit
(21,475 posts)I thnk Global Warming is going to destabalize the world and America being the Military Power that it is and will continue to be, will move in to help other countries that will be in need. We will be the world's police and will gain control over much of the world.
Brigid
(17,621 posts)conservaphobe
(1,284 posts)I hope we're still strong enough to take it all.
I'm not embarrassed to admit that.
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)jwirr
(39,215 posts)the Greatest Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict From 1500 to 2000" by Paul Kennedy. In this book he looks at the reasons that the Empires during this time fell. Each Empire kept expanding their influence in the world until they were overstretched and spending most of their capital on keeping control of the outlying territories they thought they needed to control. In order to afford this Empire these examples began cutting back on spending at home and crumbled from within.
In the last chapter he shows us were the USA is already overstretched and heading for trouble. I have watched this after I read the book and it has only gotten worse, especially in the W years and since as we try to control the ME.