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vincentML -> RE: Will the American Empire collapse? (1/21/2014 9:42:46 AM)
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ORIGINAL: Zonie63
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ORIGINAL: Moonhead
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ORIGINAL: Apocalypso
"Collapse" is too strong a word. The only way the US empire would collapse is military defeat and occupation of the mainland or a civil war.
There's other ways for an Empire to collapse. Star Wars was not a documentary.
(The bankruptcy model that brought down the British empire looks a lot more likely at this point.)
But did the British Empire actually "collapse," though? Britain itself is still a first world country with a comparable standard of living, and their political system still seems relatively stable. The English language is still widely spoken and is the international language of business. While it's no longer a political empire, the financial and cultural influence is still felt throughout the world, including America.
It's been said that America is not an empire, but thinking on that, was the British Empire truly an "empire" in the same sense as the Roman and other ancient Empires in human history? Geographically, it was far-flung all over the planet and extremely problematic in trying to hold and defend, while struggling to maintain a precarious balance of power in Europe itself. The difference with the Romans is that they had control over their own immediate vicinity, whereas the British bypassed the European continent and started their empire-building on other continents, while competing with other European powers (mostly the French and Spanish) over these far-flung territories, leading to various wars and squabbles which only escalated as more up-and-coming powers wanted to grab their share of the spoils, too.
The two World Wars were the culmination of these squabbles, leading to the main imperial powers of Europe cancelling each other out and wasting most of their national power to defend themselves from each other. What might be seen as the American "empire" today is really the remnants of the former European empires which were left in tatters after the World Wars, leaving a geopolitical power vacuum which America took advantage of. In that sense, America's "empire" was already collapsing before we even took control of it. A large part of the justification was also to prevent other powers (such as the Soviet Union) from expanding their empire in the same way.
But now, it seems the global system is such that, national or "imperial" power just isn't as relevant as it used to be. Money is all that seems to matter nowadays, and the "empire" is for sale.
Good post. In the 19th C Britain controlled the seas. In the 21st C America controls the seas and provides some assurance of safe passage for oil and other commodities. Another remarkable aspect of the British Empire in the 19th C was the journeys of their explorers and adventures advancing into "dark" continents (carrying smallpox) much as the Spanish did in the 16th C. America's explorations has taken us away from Earth's gravity. Many similarities between Empires then and now. I particularly agree with your citing the marriage between the English language and the American dollar as a pillar of Empire. No one much speaks Latin anymore. And Spanish in the Americas is not backed by a currency. I have high hopes for America to remain a dominant force throughout the 21st C. If anything is crumbling it is the hope of political union in the Euro zone.
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