America is an empire without an emperor, and it is teetering on the edge of collapse.
All empires fall. America’s reign is unique, however, in that it is an open secret —one which reveals itself as twilight shines on the Global American Empire.
By Any Other Name
We do not call it an empire, but, then again, neither did the Romans. There was still a Senate; and if you asked Augustus who he represented, he would tell you the Senate and People of Rome, (aka the public). Names are not so important after all.
North Korea is a hereditary communist dictatorship. Its name, however, is the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea. Obviously, three synonyms for democracy do not camouflage the truth of the regime.
As you might imagine, there are examples closer to home.
After America emerged as a superpower in the wake of the second World War, the Department of War changed its name to the Department of Defense —a clever, yet ironic rebrand. The last legitimate defensive war the U.S. fought was in the 19th century. Since then, war has been our greatest export.
One can say the United States is not an empire, but does that change the fact that it simply is? How about world hegemony or the policeman of the globe? When does a title become a veil?
The U.S. is the most powerful nation to ever exist, and this is not lost on most people. Everyone knows it is a bad idea to provoke the wrath of Uncle Sam.
Power is so concentrated in Washington D.C. that it radiates to every corner of the globe. If the Eye of Providence stares at you, you will feel its gaze.
America is the heart of global trade and finance, with the dollar as the life blood of the world economy — for now.
To say the U.S. is militarily dominant is a comedic understatement. The American defense budget exceeds the combined military expenditures of the next 10 most powerful nations.
The father of international law, Emer de Vattel, once said, “If a nation is under the authority of others in such a manner that it cannot govern itself according to its own will, it ceases to be a free nation, and its condition becomes that of a province.”
Is NATO free to do as it pleases? How about our Pacific allies who require our protection from China? They need their allowance from Uncle Sam, and it would be foolish to imagine he does not have some conditional chores in mind before he pays up.
Inheritor of the Earth
At the end of the second World War, two powers —the United States and the Soviet Union— split the world among themselves. This is best demonstrated by the fact that these two states had the power to prosecute criminals on behalf of all humanity at Nuremberg, without any legal precedent.
This power to represent humanity implies sovereignty over it. The Americans and the Soviets emerged from the war as both the co-representatives of the human race and the inheritors of the Earth.
The Cold War was not, as is often said, a fight between communism and capitalism: it was a contest between internationalist empires for world dominance, disguised as an ideological boxing match. Both sides claimed to be acting in the best interest of humanity while pursuing their own geopolitical interests.
The USSR did not lose the Cold War; it collapsed in on itself. When this happened in 1991, it was the first time in history that the entire globe was under the dominion of a single power –the United States of America.
What Do You See?
The uncontested dominance of the U.S. is fading. The nation that froze Cuba in time with a snap of the fingers by simply forbidding any trade, is now watching its grip on power loosen.
Over the horizon, the Russian Bear has awakened from its hibernation and brought war to Europe. The Chinese Dragon is circling the shimmering chip factories of Taiwan with vengeful lust in its eyes. The dim embers America left lying in the Middle East have rekindled to an inferno.
All of this falls on the plate of Uncle Sam. A nation divided by its petty and meaningless quarrels has grown fat and blind to the impending dangers surrounding it. The golden age of this empire is approaching its end.
The empire that never was is nearing a steep drop into reality. The strength of this empire, which spans the globe, will evaporate in an instant if something does not change. What is that change we need so badly? Ask Uncle Sam.
Acknowledgment: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual author.
