In my opinion, and in my opinion alone, the United States of America, will go down as the stupidest empire to ever walk the face of this earth. Now the title of this article may be a little misleading in judgment of my character. I am not a supporter of imperialism or militarism by any means. As a matter of fact, I am the opposite. Empires are a failure, and unnecessary. They are a result of the violation of national sovereignty and the rule of law, decadence, lies and so forth. There have been many empires that have come and gone. Many that have endured much more than others. But in the end, their day of reckoning arrived.
The United States is no different. It has invaded countries under false pretext, it has lied to keep public support for the war machine and effort, it has crushed dissenting voices, it has created an atmosphere of hysteria to justify large and unconstitutional power-grabs. Of all the empires, the U.S.A wins the award for having the most contempt for its citizens. I say this because the U.S.A is supposedly a democratic nation. I think by now it is safe to say that that is a bunch of baloney. Yet it has no shame in portraying its blatant disregard for domestic and international law while preaching the values of freedom and democracy. In seeing the U.S.A on its journey through almost seven decades of military adventurism, one can only scratch their head and ask, "what does it have to show for it?" Well, the answer is nothing (good) except the overthrow of democratically-elected governments that do not bow down to it, mass suffering for the endorsement of murderous regimes compliant with its foreign policy, the backing of Geneva convention-violating insurgents/terrorists, and the list goes on. This has made the U.S.A garner a reputation that rates it as perhaps the most hated country in large parts of the Arab and Latin American world.
In its profoundly idiotic course in history (in the realm of foreign policy at least), the U.S.A has taught a lesson to all future empires to come (and there will be more) on how to not be an empire. There are examples upon examples. But I will stress the ones that I think are most worth noting (as I think all examples are worth noting to their own extent).
DO NOT Invade Afghanistan!! or Any of the Mountainous Tribal Areas...
If you are going to build an empire--which you shouldn't do, do yourself a very good favor and do not invade Afghanistan. If you can name me one empire that succeeded in its campaign in Afghanistan, you probably came from an alternate universe. Afghanistan is the place that empires go to die, or at least accelerate their decline. The ignorance on the part of invaders to understand the culture and history of this place does not abate them from invading anyway. Empire after empire has fallen. If you want to know who the smartest empire of all was, it was probably the one that realized Afghanistan was a no-no and pulled out as fast as it could. The tribal culture, along with the terrain and style of warfare, and the will of the people of that region to resist foreign invaders has made it very difficult for an invader to settle in and dominate that region.
Afghanistan's position on the map makes it a very attractive venue for world powers. It holds vast geopolitical implications that if one controlled (and they never will), they will harness a great deal of influence and power through what is deemed as the most important region in the world.
DO NOT De-Industrialize........
If you are going to build an empire--which you shouldn't do, this is about one of the stupidest things you can possibly do, period dot. Now what makes you think its any less stupid when done in a time of military adventurism, a time that requires more resources? The United States, through legislation that benefits corporations at the expense of the American people, has decided to allow indigenous corporations to move their business overseas and enjoy the luxury of harnessing cheap labor. This has caused a massive exodus of corporations out of the country, which is partly at the root of unemployment in this country.
Having an industrial base provides many elements. It keeps demand up through the income provided--granted you receive a fair wage, it mitigates the impact of an economic crisis, it makes and keeps a nation competitive, among other things. De-industrializing the U.S has put it at the point where it doesn't make much of anything that anyone else wants, putting it in a deep hole--in other words, its industry isn't worth sh*t. As it imports more than it exports, it creates an imbalance. This results in bad debt, high vulnerability to economic events, and the endangerment of its currency. Furthermore, it must continue to fund its war machine. Needless to say, that the majority of its budget and resources will be offered on the alter of Mars. As it goes deeper into military adventurism, the debt grows even larger, jobs continue to immigrate, public health and welfare deteriorates. The only thing saving the U.S.A from total economic meltdown is its ability to print money as the U.S dollar stands as the world reserve currency.
This results in mass unrest and great uncertainty as is happening in the U.S. As the people begin to understand that there is a fundamental infraction in their society, there is always the threat of revolt. No general goes charging forward and leaves their rear unguarded. Not only must the U.S.A worry about its adventures (and its follies) abroad and the consequences, now it has to contend with a discontent citizenry (the battle on two fronts). Now come riots, and possibly the implementation of martial law, which results in its failed attempts to crush dissent and keep citizens in line.
In the end, the lack of jobs (good paying ones at that) means a lack of taxes to fund these irresponsible wars (overt and covert) waged by the U.S. As the national debt accelerates rapidly upward, the U.S. dollar which was held at the highest status among currencies, now stands heavy scrutiny. Talk about stupid. How does this benefit the U.S? Perhaps any supporter of U.S imperialism can answer this question.
DO NOT! Reward Bad Behavior
The world financial crisis of 2007-08 resulted in a devastating blow for the U.S economy. As thousands, if not millions, lost their homes, their jobs and their savings, financial centers like Wall Street paid their Chief Executive Officers (CEO) and senior partners large sums of money. In what was evidently a blatant transfer of wealth, Congress instead of putting these "financial terrorists" and the people who caused the crash to happen, in prison, they instead gave them bailout after bailout, rescuing them from their bad behavior instead of having fall from their pyramid scheme of predatory lending and gambling. This has resulted in the common American footing the bill and paying the price for a merchandise they didn't break. As the economy continues to decline, the position of empire becomes increasingly untenable.
This culture of impunity where the rich do whatever they want without fear of serious reprisal, puts the American people in grave danger. This leads to more and more policies that benefit the rich at the expense of the commoner, as already has been done (and being done) in the United States.
DO NOT Ask For More War If You're Already Having a Hard Winning Your Current Ones
As if things couldn't get worse or any more radical, now the U.S. is contemplating on whether to invade Syria and go to war with Iran. These reckless and irresponsible policies will result in the creation of new or invigoration of old enemies. As it stands the U.S is one of the most hated countries in the world. The Art of War requires for moral support as one of the five main driving factors in the success of war.....as the public doesn't even support the wars and occupations the U.S is already involved in, now the U.S wants to embark on even more military adventurism. It is worthy to note that since World War II, the U.S.A hasn't won a single military campaign, except for the Gulf War. Most often, it's had to retreat in humiliating defeat.
DO NOT Neglect Your Infrastructure
All through out the U.S, the roads, bridges, and other routes of transportation that connect the country have been neglected, resulting in their increasing disintegration, leading to public safety and concerns (as well as economic). As the imperial budget absorbs money from other alternatives that could prove more productive in order to fund the massive imperial project abroad, the inclination to preserve one of the basic elements in a modern civilization (public transportation and roads) flies right out of the window. This holds many implications. When Eisenhower embarked on the project to connect America through highways, he ended up saving or even helping businesses expand. Now that the infrastructure is crumbling, one can expect movement in the U.S to be increasingly limited and discouraged. What kinds of implications will this hold...I know one thing...nothing good. One of the elements that made the U.S such a great economic power stands in neglect and ridicule.
What Now?
Even though there is still a chance to turn back, the United States won't. Most of its endeavors, fall in line with the interests of Corporate Financier Oligarchs. And despite the fact that they are destructive to society, these policies continue with much avidity by the ruling class. One need not look far to see the legacy of empire and its devastating consequences in both America and the rest of the world. While citizens struggle to find bread, dough is funneled to standing armies abroad. The world stands in times of uncertainty, as yet a larger threat of war on a grand scale looms over the horizon. Since the U.S sought its imperialist objectives, one can't help but take note that countless coups and political upheavals have taken place in the world since, and the world has become a less safer place in many aspects. What's even worse about the U.S empire is its endeavors pose no beneficial aspect to the lives of its citizens, but rather to corporations at the expense of the people; couple that with war crimes and an unreasonably belligerent attitude and one has possibly not only the stupidest empire to ever walk the face of this earth, but also the most destructive.
These to me are the lessons to be learned from the United States empire. Chickens always return home to roost. And it seems right about now, the American chickens are coming back to their coop. History doesn't repeat itself, WE repeat history. In the end and in reality the majority consents to the rule of their leaders.
Whatever is to be done about this, is up to the American people themselves. There are a myriad of solutions that have been stressed by many figures across the world. There is no need to think--all the thinking has been done for them. Now it is time to put these solutions into action.
Lawrence Laryea is an amateur independent blogger who doesn't know much at all, yet tries to make sense of the world he lives in. Any questions, suggestions, or comments, he can be reached at Killerteddybear666@gmail.com
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