The US’ Imperialism

This piece is in continuation of the recently  published columns titled “Not if, But When” and “New World Disorder”.  The students of history would know that like all Empires, which rose to apex in the past and then withered away; had survived by constantly engaging in imperialism under various guises, with economic exploitation of the conquered lands as the real strategic objective.The greatest empires in history, defined by territorial size, population, and lasting influence, reshaped global civilization. The Colonial British Empire was one of the the largest in history (c. 1922) with 13.7 million mi², while the Mongol Empire (13th-14th centuries) was the largest contiguous land empire. Other dominant powers included the Roman, Caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ottoman, French, Spanish, Achaemenid (Persian), Russian and Qing Dynasty. All these empires were either Contiguous Land Empires or Maritime/ Colonial Empires, which thrived on trade control, in many cases, significant cultural and technological exchanges, and military strength/ conflicts, though often at great human cost. The USA has all the attributes of the past empires; and has far surpassed all of them in economic, military and technological fields, besides great geographical expanse under direct or indirect control/ influence.

Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power and soft power. The end of WW-II resulted in the demise of the colonial powers of the previous two centuries and rise of a new Global Super Power i.e. the USA, which was faintly contested by the former USSR till 1991. However, the US found it more expedient to firstly maintain its imperial hold in the world by ensuring the US Dollar's dominated economy through ‘The 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement’ that was established as a post-WWII international monetary system,pegging 44 allied nations' currencies to the U.S. dollar. It created the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank/ other IFIs to manage exchange rates, promote stability, and prevent competitive devaluations. And secondly, by ensuring military domination with or without NATO, maintaining an extensive global network of military bases, with 800+ base sites in more than 80 foreign countries and colonies/territories, having roughly 173,000 active-duty personnel stationed overseas.  That enables the US in keeping effective domination of resource rich countries, and strict control on the Land, Air and Sea Lines of communication for free trade, flow of energy and precious resources to the USA; besides, preserving technological edge  in the cyber and outer spaces.

In the last 250 years, the United States has engaged in hundreds of conflicts, ranging from five officially declared wars (including WWI, WWII, and the War of 1812) to numerous undeclared, authorized military engagements. Major, defining wars include the American Revolution, Civil War, Vietnam War, and post-9/11 conflicts. The Key Wars and Conflicts (1776–2026) include: Founding & Expansion i.e. Revolutionary War (1775-1783), Indian Wars (1817-1898), War of 1812, Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Civil War (1861–1865) which was the deadliest conflict in U.S. history, Imperial & Global Era i.e. Spanish-American War (1898), World War-1 (1917-1918), World War-2 (1941-1945), Cold War & Regional Conflicts i.e. Korean War (1950-1953), Vietnam War (1955-1975), and Modern Era i.e. Gulf War (1990-1991), War in Afghanistan (2001-2021), Iraq War(2003-2011), and ongoing operations purportedly against terror and cartels. The U.S. has maintained a near-constant, often overlapping, military presence globally, with major contemporary actions focused on the Middle East, such as in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Yemen. Besides, POTUS Trump’s recent attack on Venezuela and boastful desire to annex Canada, Greenland, Bolivia, Cuba and Mexico and the Tariff war has even unnerved old US Allies, who are quickly seeking safety under the Chinese umbrella.

The US-sponsored regime changes, spanning from the late 19th century through 2026, involve over 100+ covert actions and military interventions, primarily targeting governments to protect American economic, political, and security interests. These operations often deploy a mix of sanctions, propaganda, covert CIA actions; and direct military force, with notable examples in Latin America (Guatemala, Chile), the Middle East (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria). The early interventions focused on the Caribbean and Pacific (Hawaii, Philippines) to secure economic interests. During the Cold War, actions focused on anti-communist, pro-US outcomes. It was followed up in Latin America and then in Middle East & Asia: The 1953 Iranian coup (Operation Ajax) overthrew PM Mosaddegh. The 2003 Iraq invasion removed Saddam Hussein,and in 2011 U.S. operation removed Muammar Qaddafi in Libya, known as Operation Odyssey Dawn; all leading to long-term instability in the Middle East. In the ongoing Modern Era, at places US Operations transitioned from direct intervention to "low-intensity conflict," using sanctions, support for opposition groups, and media manipulation to destabilize governments in Venezuela and elsewhere, with intended regime change in Iran through a combination of covert and open war machinery in place.

Needless to say that the US’ Imperialistic Methods are now too well known; common tactics include economic sanctions, training/funding opposition, investing in selected bureaucracy, youth and elite, running proxies, psychological warfare, and supporting military coups. And from 1948 till to date, Pakistan has remained a classic example of the US' Imperialistic test Laboratory. Nevertheless, while intended to secure U.S. interests, many operations resulted in long-term instability, civil wars, and the rise of opposing extremist groups. 

Will POTUS Trump’s ultra nationalistic policies result in repeat of scenarios like US 1812 War or Civil War (1861–1865), causing unraveling of the USA; or will Mr. Trump himself get politically impaired, keep fingers crossed! Nevertheless, the natural phenomenon of the rise and fall of empires is already showing visible signs as the China and USA strategic contest gets tougher.