The Case For Empire

If Not US, Then Who?

Much of the hand wringing concerning the Bush administration's stated goal of a free and democratic Iraq has been wrapped in a vile distaste for American global dominion. It is as if George W. Bush under the spell of the dreaded neo-cons suddenly realized America's economic and military might could be used to dominate the world. I'm here to tell you it can be safely reported that America's dominance in economic, military and cultural affairs, for good or bad, precedes President Bush by decades.

Throughout the short history of western civilization empires have come and gone. Each left a legacy of good and bad. The bad is always easy to see - war and genocide to name just two, but the good effects of empire are in many ways more profound and more important.

The Romans, and the Greeks before them, left us with the basic underpinnings of modern government, civic and public service and even the foundations of democracy. The expansive British Empire gave the world parliamentary procedure, the rule of law and public order. What will the American Empire leave the world? The short list would include democracy, individual liberty and prosperity. The evidence is readily apparent for those who are willing to see it.

Since the end of WWII and the ascendancy of the U.S. as a global power, America has fostered economic and individual freedom wherever it has been. Can anyone say that Germany, Japan, France, Italy, South Korea and a dozen other nations that have been defeated by or liberated by the U.S. now live under our thumb? The truth is that all of these nations control their own fate and currently enjoy some form of democracy and economic freedom that puts them in the company of the richest nations on earth. I ask: is this such a terrible legacy? We should be proud of this legacy. The sacrifice has been great and we sincerely honor those who have put their lives on the line.

The cynical and the righteous, both opponents of America, can point to the reality of American mistakes and hypocrisy in an attempt to negate anything positive this nation has ever done. They can point to the economic hit men sent out to the third world to wheel and deal the local dictator until he is either indebted to us or in our back pocket, yet ignore the hit man's contemporaries from Europe, Asia or Russia as if they do not exist. Indeed, many of the world's most severe problems can be tracked back to European colonialism and yet it is America who is targeted for the hatred.

The current threat to our civilization is as great as any that came before it. The terrorists don't just want the U.S. out of the Arab world they want to destroy our western economies and end our way of life - to be replaced with theirs. Is our way of life worth preserving let alone fighting and dying for? This is not such a silly question considering what is going on in the world today. The "peace at any cost" crowd are like ostriches with their head in the sand. There can be no peace until both sides are willing to lay down their arms. It is silly to think the terrorists will respond in kind if we just disarm ourselves. The terrorists must be defeated just as the Nazis and the Soviet Communists were.

If and when the extremists in the Muslim world embrace peace and prosperity through the filter of democracy the American Empire can be proud of what we have left the world.


CW