Expansionist Policies and USA Military - Essay Example

? USA as an empire Outline Introduction 2. USA as an Empire 3. Diversity Management 4. Expansionist Policies and USA Military 5.outside of the US case (French Algeria, British Kenya, and elsewhere) 6. Conclusion 7. Work Cited. Introduction Empire The definition of an empire is that it’s a single political unit, comprising of a single extensive territory or a number of territories/nations, which is being ruled by a single supreme authority. (Ask ville) United States as an Empire History has seen numerous empires which earned fame due to various reasons like control over huge masses of land or control for the longest period of time or over the largest population possible. For instance, the empire of Alexander, the great was stretched upto the Indian borders. Similarly, the Mongol empire extended from Southeast Asia all the way to Europe. On the other hand, the tenure of the Byzantine Empire covered years 395 to 1453.Whereas, when at its peak the British Empire was able to rule over approximately one-fourth of the total world population (The world Empire) The US global empire however is different than the previous empires the world has seen. The uniqueness in the nature of this empire is the global presence that it enjoys as opposed to the control over huge masses of land etc. such a presence is almost immeasurable. The recent US Defense Department “Base Structure Report” identified that the physical assets of the Department comprise of more than 600,000 individual buildings and other structures covering more than 6,000 locations and are spread over an area of more than 30 million acres. To be exact, the total number of locations is 6,702 which is then sub-divided into: 115 large installations; 115 medium installations; & 6,472 small installations / locations. Although the major portions of these locations are found in North America, however a considerable number of locations are found outside this region. These are divided as follows: 96 are in other US territories around the globe; & 702 are in foreign territories. The figure of 702 is however debatable as it excludes the foreign military installations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar and Uzbekistan. The list of “Independent States in the World” given by the U. S. Department of State indicates that all the 192 countries in the world, with the exception of Bhutan, Cuba, Iran and North Korea, have diplomatic relations with the United States of America. All these countries also enjoy the membership of the “United Nations” with the exception of the Vatican City. “Active Duty Military Personnel Strengths by Regional Area” (a publication by Department of Defence) states that the troops of the United States of America are presently posted in up to 135 countries. This amounts to 70% of the world’s countries. America is the world’s only super power by the reason of its having an advantage over the rest of the world due to its military capability, economy, global influence, scientific and technological edge and its alliances throughout the world.(Historical News Network) USA status as an empire Empire would mean political control the one that is exercised by one organized sort of political unit over that of another unit separate from an alien to it. Many of the factors enter into empire—the economics, technology, religion, ideology above all the military strategy and weaponry--but the vital core is political: the possession of the final authority by one of the entity over vital political decisions of another. (USA as an empire) This might not mean the direct rule exercised by any formal occupation and administration; but most empires involve the informal, indirect rule. But the real empires require the effective final authority so states can enjoy various types of superiority or domination over that of others without being empires.( defining Empire, is the US an Empire) This empire dialectic yields some of the profound historical lessons, offered without proof, though the historical evidence is abundant: 1) There are many circumstances (the absence or the breakdown of the inter-state or the inter-community order) under that empires have historically provided certain order and stability, though this is almost always accompanied by the overt and the latent violence, disorder or war. Where, however, relatively stable international system of the autonomous units already exist, attempts have been made that system work and then endure through the empire have not only failed, however overwhelmingly produced massive disorder, instability, and war. 2) Recurrently throughout the modern history the leading powers have had critical junctures chosen the empire over hegemony, and therefore triggered large-scale disorder along war. In some of the instances, the choice had been conscious and demonstrable, but in many others less clear cut and more debatable. Despite, the historian pointing to repeated instances over last five centuries the leader and powers have the option between the empire and hegemony, chose path of empire, but then ruined themselves and system. 3) The converse also has hold. Wherever the real advances in an international stability, order, and peace have been achieved (there have been) connected with choices of leading powers these have made durable, tolerable hegemony rather than the empire. 4) Recent developments in reshaping the international system (e.g., the growth of non-governmental actors, developments in weaponry, globalization, the rise of new states, and international institutions, etc.) has reinforced this longstanding trend, making the empire increasingly unworkable and the counterproductive as an principle of order, and the hegemony more of the possible, more needed, along with more of a potentially stable and beneficial. These are not like any academic propositions. But they illuminate the choice for the today’s America. It might not be a complete empire--not yet. But it is this moment when it at a wannabe empire, poised on the very brink. The Bush Doctrine proclaims the unquestionably imperialist aims, ambitions and goals, and it’s the armed forces which are poised for the war for an empire--formal empire in the Iraq through occupation, conquest, and an indefinite political control, and the informal empire over whole Middle East through exclusive paramount. It pursues this path even in face of far graver challenge by the North Korea to both its imperial pretensions and own and world's security. History of United States of America The inception of the U. S. History was in the year 1776 with the Declaration of Independence, although since prehistoric times the Native Americans had occupied this region, followed by Colonionisation in the region by the Europeans in 1492. The largest English occupation happened to be on the East Coast, starting in 1607. As the region entered the 1770s, there were formed up to Thirteen European colonies accommodating a total of about two and a half million people. These colonies were growing prosperously and were able to formulate their own legal as well as political systems. The growing threat faced by the American self-government at the hands of the British Government resulted in a war in 1775, and henceforth the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In 1789, the United States federal Government was formed based on the Constitution. George Washington became the first president of United States. However, the European influence was still present which was fought back in 1812 by a second war of Independence after the creation of the first political parties in the 1790s. It was then, that the expansions in the U. S. territory started, moving westward across the continent. Concept of Diversity Management for USA General The condition of being or having composed of different sets of elements: that is variety; especially: the inclusion of various types of people (as of people of different cultures or races) in organization or group programs that intend to promote diversity in several schools. It can even be defined as an instance of being composed of different sets of qualities or elements: a moment of being diverse (diversity in opinion). If we look at in the political arena, we may find that the term diversity (or the word diverse) is used to primarily describe political entities (student bodies, neighborhoods, etc) with several members having identifiable differences in their lifestyles or backgrounds. The term covers differences in age, gender, religion, racial or ethnic classifications, philosophy, socioeconomic background, genetic attributes, behavior, intelligence, mental health, physical health, sexual orientation, physical abilities, , gender identity, attractiveness, or other identifying features. For measuring human diversity, one may makes use of a diversity index that measures the probability of any two residents, randomly chosen, would have different ethnicities. If all the residents are from the same ethnic group then the diversity is zero. If half of the residents are from one group and half are from another it's then 50. (Diversity Index) In USA diversity management enter the management and organization discourse in the later part of 18th century and earlies 19th century. The workforce 2000 report provided a basis of citation for diversity management that was according to Litvin defined as related to demographic groups training; corporate self-interest; and the organizational psychology with an individual along with interpersonal focus. Diversity management there replaced words like multiculturalism, inter-cultural education along with cultural diversity. DM the diversity management was presented as an alternate to prior Affirmative Association and Equal Employment Opportunities legal. For many of the critics, Diversity Management has served to eliminate the discussions of power along with systemic oppression and associated concepts such as equity, discrimination, hierarchy, privilege, and organizational justice. (Diversity Management, USA) Ideology Political creeds that support the idea that diversity is desirable and valuable hold that promoting and recognizing these diverse cultures may help communication among people of different lifestyles and backgrounds, resulting in greater understanding, knowledge, and peaceful coexistence. For instance, "Respect for Diversity" is one of those six principles from Global Greens Charter, a a public declaration of intentions subscribed to by Green parties worldwide. In contrast to diversity, some of the political creeds promote the cultural assimilation as a way to lead to these ends. US through18th, 19th and 20th century In the beginning of the 19th century the United State felt really threatened by Spain and also England as they held the western continent, though at the same time American felt clamored for more and more land. Thomas Jefferson proposes a plan for American expansion westward from its original colonies to Mississippi River. Between the 1816 and 1840 the tribes that located between the original states and Mississippi River signed treaties. Between 1830 and the year 1850 about 100,000 American Indians moves west after USA treaties and this was resisted by the army. Many of the entrants were treated brutally. An estimated 3500 Creeks died in Alabama on the west ward journey. Some had been transported in chains. American Civil War in the 1861-1865 Sectionalist tensions rose to highest pitch with the election of new president Abraham Lincoln. The first of all reacting was South Carolina South Carolina had secessionist tendencies since American Revolution. After Anderson left, Fort Moultrie was handed over to Pierre Beauregard. There started tensions between the federal authorities and state rights advocates over the Federal property ownership. On April 6 1861, Abraham Lincoln announced provisioning the fort. The Confederate leaders feeling this was unacceptable fired at the fort on the April 12, 1861. Union General Winfield Scott then devised a plan for defeating the South. The plan, that was later termed as the Anaconda Plan was to blockade southern coastline, to use naval action on rivers, and to conduct land battles slowly cutting the South in increasingly smaller and smaller sections. War in the East Thirty-four hours after continuous bombardment of the Fort Sumter began; Major Anderson then surrendered to the Confederates. It then occupied become by Confederate troops which remain in their possession till near the end of the war (Ward 1990).The Confederate defenders of Fort Pulaski (Fort Pulaski National Monument), at the mouth of the Savannah River, felt that they were safe from any Union threat. Robert E. Lee On April 11, 1862 morning having other siege elements in the place, Union guns opened up their fire. The fire of rifled cannons breached the brick walls in two of the places. Gilmore then targeted powder magazine forcing Confederate defenders to surrender then (Anderson 1995). War in the West The western Appalachian Mountains, the land along with the river portion of Anaconda Plan were implemented. The first strike was at the Fort Donnellson and Shiloh, Tennessee. Both of the battles cause much devastation for the Confederacy. From the time when United States was created to until today the foundation that is the very grounds of USA lies in the philosophy of expansionism. From the time of United States creation to until today, the foundation of US lies in the determination of expansionism. A country which began as the cluster of eastern colonies thereby began as the coast by coast super power from late 18th century to the early 19th century. American increased its territories with the help of military and peaceable means, the Nation doublized itself with the purchase of Louisiana Purchase from Finance in the year 1803 continuing in the year 1844 with the Oregon Treaty and finally annexing Texas after Mr. Polk’s War in 1840 with Mexico. The earlier expansionism can be defined as the manifest destiny. Many of the Americans believed that coast to coast expansion was just and inevitable. In the beginning of 20th century however it did not continue for similar reasons. The later part of the 19th century and the earlier 20th century contained US expansionism much similar to past expansion. But the later parts were a discontinuation from the past as the US developed a paternalistic behavior towards foreigners. Expansionism in the America during the later 19th or the earlier 20th century has had many similarities along with dissimilarities to those of the American expansionist ideals(helpme.com). In both the cases the Americans believed that we must expand the borders in order to keep the country running rightly. Also, Americans start believing that united States are the strongest and can take any country. It can even be argued that the American conquest of Latin American and Asian countries is particularly a continuation of the American militarism in Mexican War. Indeed, the American troops were sent to Mexico in 1840 for conquest, Similarly to Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries the US stressed militarism and this was more than ever before. Under the Captain Alfred Mahan, US built very powerful "New Navy", and had fought to dominate not only seas of Latin America, Europe, but also Asia. However, this militarism of the late 1800s and that of early 1900s had motives different than past militarism. The Mexican War is just an example of American belief in the "manifest destiny"; however, such "destiny" was contained to mainland continent. In early 19th century, the US had maintained a policy of following principles of Washington's Farewell Address; this only meant that US stayed out of Asian and European affairs. This policy was even ignored in the later years, as the larger foreign markets that were drawn from US to attain the spheres of influence in other countries. Changes in US policy of the expansion as it then entered the late of nineteenth century ultimately lead to US involvement in Great War from 1917-1918. As the American foreign policy began to be ignore principles of Washington's Farewell Address the Monroe Doctrine, US found itself intricately tied the European affairs. The web of the economic ties European countries was linchpin leading to the German submarine aggression that was against the United States, which then further led to US entry into WWI. (David Stevenson) USA and other countries: The first of the military glimpse of the Roman might in the country of Africa in nineteenth century occurred during Napoleonic expedition to the Egypt (1789– 1800), where the officers were awed by the Rome’s impressive so called architectural legacy The sight of the huge monuments in the heart of totally alien land, that had endured for centuries, total tribute to both the Rome’s culture. The French conquest of the Algeria lasted for the twenty seven years, from the capture of Algiers in the year 1830 to fall of the Kabila in the 1857. Resistance to the French domination was uneven but the fierce, along with the terrain unfamiliar. The precedents of the warfare in area with which French officers were mostly familiar were Romans. Livy’s account of the Messiness’s hero resistance to Syphax along with Sallust on Jurgurtha’s war was the Romans were most obvious examples. In this wide read account of the Roman Africa, Gaston Boissier, who was the renowned classicist, compared Jurgurtha to Arab leader Abdul Kader and drew the parallels between the Metellus’s tactics against the Jurgurtha and those of French: ‘‘bold attacks, raids as anyone call them, in whichever he overthrows the huts, the crops, and eads off the herds. The heavy Romanic, so careful, so measured in their movements, so true to their ancient tactics, makes supple and flexibility The capture of the Algiers in the year 1830 was followed by periodic indecision along with debate in Chamber of Deputies as whether to advance further. While this, had parallels in the Roman experience, the relevance of Roman legacy to French decision to the press on is uncertain. (Bossier, Roman) In any of the event, in 1832 the French had moved eastward to Bougie, which was taken in the September of following year. On the 20 September 1833, 9 of the days prior to the collapse of the town, an order from king incited the army ‘‘to complete conquest of the Algeria in order to return the civilized world that was the bank of Mediterranean, that had been in grips of anarchy along with barbaric methods since fall of the Roman Empire.’’(Edouard Lepen) In accordance with directives, the final thrust on the Bougie was made, and army then moved inland to the Constantine, which fell in to the 1837. By end of second decade of the French occupation, the meshing of together of the Rome and France, as various stages of the same oeuvre, then was well established. Two of the developments shaped ensuing period of Rome-France comparison. First, of the incorporation of Algeria in to France as three of the departments put an end to debate whether or not colonizing. The question became how to colonize. French officers looked at the Rome for some of answers. Was the Roman regime of garrisons, thereby the military maintained domination and protected the civilian colonization, a viable solution for France. Bugeaud had really thought. ‘‘Military colonization . . . seems to be fundamental,’’ he had inform the Chamber of Deputies in the year1844. His vision of the colonization was the sword and the plow implemented using agricultural committees the development of which was the ‘‘Delenda Carthago,’’ as told to deputies. Secondly the gave the institutionalization of Algeria as spatially as French via establishment of series of scholarly societies where main preoccupation was map out, record, and classify colony’s archaeological and historical terrain Conclusion:- United States is very big state that has been moving and advancing to achieve its position as a recognize state though yet a complete empire but it is on its brink to be one. Since, the war of Independence in 1775 to date America has seen various phases and has struggled adequately. It has been able to achieve great milestones over this period and has earned its supreme position in the world amongst other countries. History here warrants that a prediction, based not on the analogies or the examples from past but on the sober analysis of what can and what cannot succeed in international world. If the America goes down path of an empire, it might progress to become an empire. How, when, what then the consequences, no one can really tell--but if it will fail, and then it will then harm itself and also the world in the process America can progress or not it will depend upon the future and proofs cited above showing. Work Cited 1. Anderson, 1995 from http://www.nps.gov/seac/outline/bibliography.htm#anderson 2. Bugeaud’s speeches to the Chamber in Azan, Par l’epee, 199–201, and in D’Ideville, Le 3. David Stevenson. "Militarization and diplomacy in Europe before 1914. " International Security 22.1 (1997): 125-161. Platinum Periodicals. ProQuest. Miramonte H.S. Library, Orinda, CA. 30 Sep. 2008 4. empires in world history, by Burbank and cooper http://books.google.com/books?id=y7B9euuLEkUC&pg=PA221&lpg=PA221&dq=chapter+9+empires+in+world+history+burbank+cooper&source=bl&ots=FHc1MY5B1p&sig=26Po8QlwovHCi7K6qETd8la1a6c&hl=en&ei=z_zmTf_AM8bfiAKzh8TJCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&sqi=2&ved=0CDwQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false 5. For the similarities between the debates in the Roman Senate and those in the French Chamber of Deputies, see Boissier, Roman Africa, 95. 6. Expansionism in the late 19th/ Early 20th century www.123HelpMe.com. 07 Jun 2011 . 7. History of United States from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States 8. History News Network is USA an empire? http://hnn.us/articles/1237.html 9. Lew rock well vance from http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance8.html 10. Quoted by Edouard Lapene, Vingt-six mois a Bougie ou collections de memoires sur sa conquete, son occupation, et son avenir: Notice historique, morale, politique, et militaire sur les Kabailes (Paris, 1838),197. 11. United states Empire from Answer Viewer from the http://askville.amazon.com/United-States-Empire/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=2608517 12. Ward 1990 from http://www.nps.gov/seac/outline/bibliography.htm#wardetal Read More