From the Horse's Mouth

Anybody who denies we're an imperial power needs to talk to the Air Force. I've linked to Perils of Reasoning by Historical Analogy - Munich, Vietnam and American use of Force Since 1945 before, and now I just want to highlight something from the conclusion of the paper:

[T]he United States is an imperial power with a vested interest in maintaining a certain level of stability in the international political system, and that stability maintenance requires, as it has of every other imperial power,occasional military intervention along the imperial periphery. The uniqueness of the American empire as a voluntary association of market democracies does not alter the imperial obligations of the United States as the center of that empire. Imperial states meddle in small wars for reasons ranging from deterrence of escalation to protection of friends and allies.

So shush. We are an empire, and there's no denying it.

Why does that bother me? Because imperialism leads to chauvinism and nationalism, and that's a major component of fascism.

ntodd  ¶ 4:23 PM