President’s call it “American leadership” instead of the “American Empire”
America is an empire, not because it’s directly controlled foreign lands, but because its total political- and military power is imperial compared to the rest of the planet.
America did not want or even shoes to be an empire, much like the British or the Romans. Nobody sat down at a table and planned this outcome, still, America’s fundamental interests lead to empirehood.
The continent has always been the inescapable empire. North America has one of the most impressive geographies on the planet, from a food, capital and security point of view. Americans are not important because “who” they are, but, “where” they are.
The US navy control all global oceans and therefore controls the global economy. No nation in history has done this before.
In essence, it means that Washington can decide to invade countries and other countries can’t invade the homeland. It also means that America can block sea lanes around the planet. This could easily lead to a major recession and uprisings against a specific country.
Maintaining control of the sea lanes is the foundation of America’s power. This leads to a scenario where the best way to defeat a potential enemy navy its to hinder it from emerging in the first place.
America has, therefore, learn what the English learned in Europe. A historical reference is the British islands where London backed different governments or people on the European continent to prevent any power to build a navy to invade the homeland.
This is playing out in the South China Sea today due to China’s naval chokepoints. Washington is today reaching out to old enemies, Vietnam, and holding naval exercises together with India and Japan to block China.
Furthermore; America’s containment strategy is also today implemented against Moscow. Russia’s geography is highly insecure and Russia has always tried to push their border to the geographical barriers in eastern Europe. The United States understand this and have invested greatly in Poland and Romania to secure the gaps as well as Turkey to secure the Bosphorus.
However, London adopted a great strategy in India. The British army did not occupy a nation of 1 billion people, that is simply untrue. London decided to turn different Indian states against each other as they learned on the European continent by providing economic, intelligence, political and military support. The British then appointed different political leaders to hold the peace and the balance of power and keep India loyal to the Crown.
President Ronald Reagan of the United States of America (1981–1989). President Ronald Reagan implemented a small version of this with Iran and Iraq, where he supported both sides so they keep fighting each other and not focus on America. This is not a moral and ethical choice, but, it worked.
Washington used this strategy because it knows America can’t occupy Eurasia. The first boots on the ground are massively outnumbered. The US relearned this when George W Bush decided to occupy Iraq. That was a mistake. America can defeat any nation, but can’t occupy large countries far away. The US prefers islands who easily be occupied. An example of this historically is the island of Cuba.
Furthermore, America has the ability to help various governments and groups around the globe so they keep focusing their anger on each other by providing economic, intelligence, political and military support.
If that does not work and the balance of power breaks down, then Washington can implement spoiling attacks. The tactic is not intended to defeat the enemy, yet, the intention is to disrupt their emergence. Washington implemented this in Afghanistan with Al-Qaeda.
The problem then was that it was too easy and America, then tried to build a well-functioning democratic nation. It has failed terribly in this effort. The same mistake was made in the second Iraq War compared to the first Iraq War where the US denied Saddam Hussein the land of Kuwait and then went home.
The lesson is therefore to selectively intervene (and very rarely) in America’s best interest. This is a view that Donald Trump has expressed that i hardly think he fully understands.
The lesson is, therefore, to selectively intervene (and very rarely) in America’s best interest. This is a view that Donald Trump has expressed that I hardly think he fully understands.
The president must therefore specifically point out the enemy and the objective to succeed. President Bush biggest mistake was to declare a War against “radical Islamist” and a war against “terror”. Both are unclear objectives.
American power will therefore mature and Washington will implement a greater balance of power tactic as the British did in India. The United States will not have any eternal friends or enemies, only, eternal self-interests.
Conclusively: The first step, in my view, is America to recognize that it is and has an empire due to their imperial power.
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Vox media have illustrated this beautiful in their clip about the United States military presence around the world. See video below:
