United States a Modern Empire essay
Introduction
This paper is meant to explain why the USA is not a modern empire. Generally speaking, a metaphor of empire is quite seductive. The US military has the international reach, with established bases around the globe, and its regional commanders at times perform like proconsuls. Also, English is the lingua franca just like Latin. The American economy is the major in the globe, and the US culture serves as the magnet (Nye). But it is a huge mistake to confuse dominance with empire. The USA is not the empire due to the facts that: in spite of military supremacy the USA did not create any sort of formal colonies as the great empires always did; the USA is in no way comparable to the rule by Emperors as it has at all times been the Constitutional Republic; finally, the USA is, by definition, the hegemon, which is merely first among the equals.
Military Supremacy
Some individuals assert that the USA’s huge military and policing of the globe are somehow comparable to empire. But the reality is that the USA has not colonized any part of the globe since 1959 once Hawaii became the 50th state. Yes, Americans are almost certainly overextended on the armed forces front and often feel the need to police the globe, but this is dramatically dissimilar than what the Roman Empire did through straightforwardly conquering and creating own leadership in the other parts of the globe and then trying to preserve the direct control over those areas. The USA is really dominant – the US military budget is greater than nine other nations put together, enabling the country to deploy the units practically anywhere across the globe in a matter of minutes. Additionally, the USA enjoys the technological lead and emerges as a vital superpower without any potential rivals. However, there is a crucial dissimilarity as the USA did not create any sort of the formal colonies and the great empires always did. Furthermore, till today there has not been any proof that the USA has positioned any ruling consuls in the other sovereign nations (Roche).
Rule by Emperors
The major cause of decline in many empires was the political instability. For instance, the Roman Empire was only one era of Roman affluence. Rome had lots of dissimilar styles of administration in due course with Monarchy and the Republic leading to the amazing increase and Empire leading to the terrible decline. An Empire led to substantial separation within the Empire itself with leadership, sometimes, being dispersed across numerous dissimilar Emperors. There was no actual unification, but rather disconnected monarchs as time went on (Baker 115-194).
The USA is in no way similar to the rule by Emperors or Empire of disunity. America is and has at all times been the Constitutional Republic. This type of administration has proven extraordinarily stable with time. And whilst people might observe the rising disagreement among the dissimilar political parties within America, the basis of the Republic is strong and steady. There is no initial or following triumvirate, no defeat of one administration for another, no Brutus wounding Caesar in his back. There is only steady progression of leadership selected by people and for people.
Hegemony and Empire
To call America an empire is a huge misleading, unhistorical acknowledgement of the empire, neglecting the vital crucial distinctions among the empire and other relations in the global affairs and obscuring crucial truths concerning the destiny of empires and bids for empire within the current global system. Thus, the better acknowledgement of empire may be very useful (Schroeder). First the definition: empire presupposes the political control exercised by the arranged political unit over the other unit separate from and unfamiliar to it. Many aspects enter into the empire – technology, economics, religion, ideology, military strategy and arms – but the fundamental core is political: possession of the ultimate authority by one entity over the crucial political decisions of the other (Schroeder). This points to the vital difference among two terms usually used as the synonyms: empire and hegemony. These are two fundamentally dissimilar relations. Hegemony presupposes the clear, recognized leadership and dominant power by one unit within the general community of the units not under the sole authority. Hegemon is the primary among the equals; the imperial system rules over the subordinates. The hegemonic control is the one without whom no ultimate decision may be reached within the provided system; its accountability is basically managerial, to witness that the decision is achieved. The imperial power governs the entire system, imposes own decision when it desires (Schroeder).
Powerful implications flow from the definition and difference. First of all, hegemony, in principle, is well-matched with the global system the USA now has, composed of autonomous, organized units enjoying the juridical parity (sovereignty, rights, status and international duties) regardless of dissimilarities in power. An Empire is not. Second, those who talk about the US Empire bringing democracy and freedom to the globe are talking of snowy blackness and dry rain. Theoretically and by definition, empire is the denial of political liberation, self-determination and freedom. All these facts confirm that the fact that the USA is not the empire today. It is a hegemon, which is merely first among the equals (Schroeder).
Conclusion
Many people make an assumption that the USA is already the empire merely by being the international only superpower, by virtue of its military preeminence, economic power, international impact, scientific and technological prowess, and global alliances. However, this paper explained why the United States of America is not a modern empire. It is wrong to confuse dominance with empire. The USA is not the empire due to following facts: in spite of military supremacy the USA did not create any sort of formal colonies as the great empires always did; the USA is in no way comparable to the rule by Emperors as it has at all times been the Constitutional Republic; finally, the USA is, by definition, the hegemon, which is merely first among the equals.
