Latin
Lines 1.26-1.28
Imperialisms, Ancient and Modern, Cumings, Bruce, "Is America an Imperial Power?," Current History (November 2003). 1.26-28
Not analysed yet
That the United States would be hegemonic was inevitable from Bretton Woods onward. That it might also become an empire was not. The project of hegemony offered a means to achieve the revival and flourishing of the world economy. The project of containment provided a way to draw lines in the sand against the communist adversary as well as a way to constrain capitalist allies (mainly Gennany andJapan) by keeping military bases on their territory. In the wake of the end of the cold war and the Soviet Union's collapse, the hegemonic project continued. But so did the allied containment project, even though it lost sight of any formidable adversary. Punishing Saddam Hussein; isolating Cuba, obliterating potential nuclear "power" North Korea: these are small potatoes compared to the good old days of the cold war.
But the Pentagon, if not the White House, does run an empire. How might we specify its territory? It is in the first instance an archipelago of military basesor what one us general recently called "lily pads" around the world, useful for projecting American power. it was this vast and enduring complex that the collapse of the Soviet Union seemed to render obsolete. Yet Johnny never came marching home. When you think about it, Johnny never has since 1945. Win (World War II), lose (Vietnam) or draw (Korea), American troops never come home; 78,000 remain in Germany, nearly 100,000 in Japan and Korea. (Defeat did of course evict troops from Indochina, but not from the region.)
Now President George W. Bush has sponsored a massive outward thrust in this basing system, into Central and South Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines, and nearly every country in the Middle East willing to host troops. The military likes its foreign bases but does not deserve blame for the most recent expansion that has come in the wake of 9-11. Indeed, many at the heart of the matter resist this new crusade: Brigadier General Jared Kennish, who commanded troops in Kyrgyzstan, lamented: "Here I am in a nation I had never heard of, couldn't pronounce and couldn't find on a map six months ago. . . ." Vice Admiral Lyle Bien told the same reporter, "We're developing a force that makes it almost too easy to intervene. I am concerned about America pounding herself out." 2