Colonialism & Empire - Essay Example

Hearing the words of an Empire and Imperialism automatically conjure up images of dictatorial monarchs with extremist ideas pertaining to military expansion and geographical dominance, particular of ages gone by and of historical times. But perhaps this is no more a justifiably accurate view to consider on the matter. Indeed as with almost all things in the modern day age, perhaps the definition of Imperialism has also changed and therefore, perhaps, so should our understanding of it. Is America a modern day Imperialist state and can it be considered as an American Empire? Indeed can there be any such thing as an Empire in today’s sense of the democratic, political world? These are the questions the average American must examine before coming to the conclusion of America’s importance as a possibly imperialist state, nation or empire. To begin the debate, one first needs to examine what imperialism fundamentally means, both in terms of the American Empire and in general. Generally examined, Imperialism basically refers to the practice of a nation controlling, or seeking to control, another nation, either through military means or otherwise, and whether in terms of geographical influence or political policies. Imperialism, as defined by the Webster’s Dictionary, “... is the guiding principle, practice, or support of enhancing authority and control of a state particularly by direct territorial acquirement or by gaining indirect charge over the political or economic life of other areas...”. Imperialist expansion in its traditional form and sense aimed mainly to seek a political, geographical or military advantage to benefit the expanding state, or it was viewed as such, but in recent times, these definitions seem to be changing, with the focus more on the benefit towards the influence country, rather than the inverse. Countries that aim to excise this influence may be referred to as an empire as they henceforth shall be. In the modern day world, America and Russia can be considered to be empires, considering their political influence over regions and countries past their borders. While the days of kings and queens is generally over, and we don’t seem to have empires as we traditionally imagine when we hear the word, when viewed from a technical standpoint, and in terms of today’s changing world, an empire is basically a geographically extensive dominion controlled by a singular source point. Considering the political influence America has all over the world, and in particular on certain countries such as Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as other countries like the Philippines or Spain in the past – from which the idea of American Imperialism first sprang up – America too can be, and should be, considered an empire as vast as any historical empire, or a nation-empire (Hardt, 2000), that is, a nation extending its influence to a particular nation or region, individually or in alliance with other nations. Therefore, while the United States might not be an empire in the extremely traditional sense of the world, when considering the modern definition and the central role America plays in the world’s politics, including its considerable influence on them, America does indeed fulfill the definition of an Empire, and therefore, it can be said to have a considerable imperialistic influence as well. The United States first demonstrated imperialism and its existence as an empire in the Spanish war of 1898, where the Americans aimed to free Cubans from Spanish Atrocities. This is perhaps similar to the influence the Americans had on the Iraqi people in the war on Iraq, where it aimed to free the people of Iraq from the tyrannic rule of their then leaders. Perhaps it should therefore be said that the modern day word for an Empire is a Superpower (Hitchens, 2002), with expansion being referenced to as occupation, and policies that imperialism is originally based upon being termed as tools to help build a nation. If both the said examples were mainly aimed for good, why do general Americans consider the policy Imperialism to be so wrong? It was America’s political influence, or imperialism, that plays a great central role in the downfall of central players in great wars, such as the Germans in World War II, or in freeing a nation from its dictatorial rulers, such as in Iraq, or in liberating nations, such as South Korea, so that they too can emerge on the path of liberty and progress. It is perhaps due to the negative stigma attached to the term of imperialism, where people immediately consider hostages and looting and a nation’s selfish desire to expand and take over another, whether for political power or other reasons, such as acquiring natural resources, but as the times are changing, so are the definitions of conventional terms, and therefore so should the stigmas or stereotypes attached to them. The days of Barbaric expansion are over, and organizations such as the United Nations or the European Union play a key role in ensuring that it stays that way. A blatant invasion of a nation’s resources and infrastructure would not go by unnoticed and without condemnation in today’s world, and no country as big as the United States, in terms of political influence and importance more than size, would aim to do so, at the risk of global condemnation. Imperialism has changed its meaning and therefore so should our opinions on it. Simply considered, imperialism is the art and practice of expanding a nation’s influence over another. The average American might not understand the role America plays in the world in terms of this concept of ruling, as indeed, America is generally thought of as a democratic nation not biased or influenced, and not doing the same in return. But while this is true, it is perhaps a narrow minded and short sighted point of view that results in this aloofness. America is primarily viewed as a democratic nation, standing for democracy, liberty and freedom. The concept of imperialism seems to conflict with this, but that is not true. That is indeed America’s fundamental policy of ruling and living, and that is why, as an accepted superpower of the world, it aims to allow other countries to benefit from the same ideologies and concepts, ultimately resulting in a free world and not just free countries. If imperialism is simply the influence and expansion over other nations, why does the influence have to be viewed negatively? An average American should understand that yes indeed, the United States is indeed an imperialistic empire, or a modern day superpower, and its influence is not in terms of taking over, in a geographical or political sense, but rather to spread the idea of liberalism and freedom throughout the oppressed and downtrodden nations of the world. The idea is to allow countries to be self-sustaining and free, just like America is. America’s influence in Afghanistan was to the point where they aimed to eradicate the rule of the Taliban on the suppressed people of Afghanistan. America’s influence in Iraq focused on eradicating weapons believed to be capable of mass destruction and aiming to free the Iraqi people from the oppressive and tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein. Although American troops continue to be stationed in both countries, it is in an aim to restore political structure and infrastructure, not to station American roots in the nation. Imperialism is therefore not necessarily a negative idea. It can, and does, result in posterity, and as a citizen belonging to perhaps one of the most powerful nations of the world, it is necessary to ensure that America continues to remain as a positive imperial influence, making the term acceptable, but in a sense where it warrants and deserves to be so. Therefore, in conclusion, it can be reinstated that yes indeed, America can be considered an imperial state, as it rightfully should be, without fear of criticism or condemnation. If there is an aspect of imperialism to be condemned, it should rightly be condemned so, but that does mean imperialism itself is wrong, provided it is considered in the true, democratic modern sense that it is being referred to here, and that is visibly apparent in this age. America’s influence as an empire or imperial state, perhaps more modernly known as a superpower, is not only owing to the fact that it has such widespread influence and considerable influence on political and militarist decisions but also in some sense owing to the cultural impact and dominance it has on global trends, whether by direct intention or otherwise. There is no reason to view imperialism negatively; rather much to the inverse, it should be considered proudly if being implemented correctly, and therefore, it is the right and moral duty of all Americans to take an interest in America’s imperial policies and influence. If it is difficult to visualize as an empire, one may consider it a superpower, which is a far more familiar term, but indeed the same thing in essence. Therefore Americans should indeed be considered to examine their nation’s policies more closely, but with an open minded point of view where prior biases do not influence future prospects. Bibliography Hardt, M. Empire, Harvard University Press (2000) Hitchens, C. ‘Imperialism – Superpower Dominance, Malignant and Benign’ (2002) Odom, W. ‘America's Inadvertent Empire’. Yale University Press. (2004) Patrick, S. & Shepard, F. ‘Multilateralism and U.S. Foreign Policy: Ambivalent Engagemen’t. Boulder, CO (2001) Tomlinson, J. ’Cultural Imperialism: A Critical Introduction’. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. (1991) Tremblay, R. ‘The New American Empire’. Haverford, PA: Infinity Pub. (2004) Read More