The Slow Death of the American Empire

” Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.”
– John Donne

EMPIRE

Have you ever thought about Empires and why they don’t last?  Have you ever thought of America as having an Empire?  It does, and while certainly not on the same geographic scale as the Roman, British, Mongolian, Russian, Persian, or Macedonian Empire, it stands up very well in areas of influence, including economic, military, and strategic intelligence.

Here is a visual of what is called The American LOGO map:

Now, look at the same LOGO with its attached Empire.

* Images From “How To Hide AN Empire” by Daniel Immerwahr

So, back to the question, why don’t Empires last?  While some have endured for hundreds of years, their downfall almost invariably will be found on the domestic home front.  Perhaps the lines of communication with the Empire’s outposts had become frayed, or maybe the spoils of war were unequally divided among the conquering nation’s citizens.  Was it the convergence of cultures within the Empire that upset the balance as the newly acquired citizenry descended upon the homeland?  Realistically and historically, it is all of these and many, many more; reasons that on a look-back basis could have and should have been recognized but were not.  Once the rot sets in the social fabric, the glue that holds the Empire together begins to lose its power to bind.The decline may be slow, or it may be swift, but it will be.

Early America

With that happy onset, let’s turn to our next-door neighbour and see how its recent history is playing out within the context of time and consequence.  The initial expansion of their Empire began shortly after the American Revolution (which was more of a rebellion) when Messrs. Washington and Jefferson decided to usurp the rest of the continent regardless of who was living on what part of it.  So much for the Indians, French and Mexican populations; the Indians were rolled around the territories like a bowling ball until they had nothing.  The French were bought out while the Mexicans were shot out. For the white man, it was an Anglo-Saxon dream! 

Rapidly and latterly, the American Empire expanded offshore through the “acquisition” of several small Caribbean Islands in the waning days of Imperialism.  In 1898, the Spanish-American war ceded large tracks of territory near and far, attached to the LOGO.  Significantly, amongst those territories were the Philippines and Puerto Rico; the former they eventually gave back to the citizens (unmanageable). The latter was kept close but ignored in the domestic scheme of things.  By 1940 the colonial holdings had 19,000,000 people in the mix, which placed America on the top tier of Empire building. Some territories such as Alaska and Hawaii became states, and others were discarded, but, invariably, all the attachments (i.e., the Panama Canal Zone) were a point of military and economic influence.  Throw in the odd war here and there (hot or cold) the strategic intelligence alliance of the Empire included the Far East (South Korea, Japan), the Middle East (Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia) and indeed pretty well extended worldwide.  

The Modern Empire

Post-World War II and into the Cold War, the American Empire grew not so much geographically but in power as a beacon of liberty, democracy and righteousness to all.  Especially those bound in chains under Communist Regimes. That power in every sense made America the strongest global Empire in history. I think even Alexander, The Great who’s Empire was global but was restricted to the known world at the time, would give a swords-up to that conclusion.  Then why, say you, is it possible that the Empire of the U.S.A. could be spinning around in an inevitable death spiral?  Its time in the upper rankings of Empires is relatively short; will it last, or will it crumble like all others?  Let’s take a look.

Like any other Empire, the American iteration will attract outside agitators bound and determined to chip away at the machinery that drives the democratic beast daily.  Its allies are questioning the Empire’s influence in the Far East. It is being tested by the “Kim” dynasty in North Korea and island-building in the South China Sea by Mr. Xi, saying nothing of the cries for help by the residents Hong Kong residents.   The tragedy of Syria unfolded before the world’s eyes as a dictator enlisted Putin’s Russia’s military aid to destroy the nation at large and set millions fleeing to the borders of Europe.  “Oh, the humanity,” as they say, and yet the Empire refused to seriously step over their own drawn line-in-the-sand when Assad gassed his own people.  Russia then grabbed the influence stick and moved deeper into the Middle East.

And lastly, in the theatre of Eastern Europe and the E.U. in general, the Empire’s withdrawal of support for nuclear containment and a climate change pledge has sullied its reputation as a leader who stays the course.  The Empire’s leader has taken an axe to its relationship with its close allies and the institutions they forged after World War II to bring stability to a world at war.  And now, the evils of populism emerge in Poland, Hungary, and Austria (and others) in a dangerous political shift that is all too obvious. Simultaneously, the Russian shirtless bare-back rider (Puny Putin) rubs his greedy little hands in glee.

The Great Divider

And now the time is 2016.  At the heart of the LOGO emerges a figure whose unlikely persona will change the political dynamics not only of the world at large but especially within the lower forty-eight plus two.

“We have only to kick in the door, and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down.” 

                                                                                 Paraphrasing a quote from the German military

                                                                                 leadership on the advent of the invasion of

                                                                                 Russia in 1941

What Donald Trump saw and heard when he pursued the American political landscape in 2015 was a pile of rocks lying in the highway of the forgotten and the cries in the dark that had gone unheard for a long while. Was all of that out there?  When he shouted, “I’m going to make America great again,” he was saying that it WAS all out there,” come to me, and I’ll fix it”. God -A- Mighty can you believe it – a billionaire who doesn’t pay his bills or taxes telling the nation’s ne’er-do-wells and grotesques that he’s one of them.  The rot was there, and they bought it, lock, stock, and barrel.

With that in hand, THE DONALD, now president, went to work to add a new element to the Washington swamp – chronic lying.  In a very unapologetic manner, he unleashed his’ base’ on the Republican party and the members who would not bend to his will.  Of course, the weapon of choice was the member’s job and re-electability in the face of Trump’s wrath.

So, where was the rot in the American social structure that allowed a political dummy to challenge and destroy the institutional framework that built the Empire and which was transported, with influence, offshore?  Inequality aided and abetted by elitism within the nation’s leadership is where the rot is, said Donald.  Further, he pleaded –‘ I love you, and they don’t; I will give you your rightful place in the sun’.  Economic downturns did nothing but drive the unequal to greater despair.  But, also to a deeper and deeper belief in the walking miracle of Donald J. Trump.  The cracks in the white populist movement widened while the cracks in the minority communities (predominantly black) rose to a breach. President Trump did not invent the disquieting swell of dissatisfaction within the LOGO.  He built upon it and played its tune over social media day after day.  He had control of the Republican party and, therefore, control of the Senate.  He wrapped himself in the glory that he reigned supreme even with the constant hissing of the Democrats and CNN; it was his Empire, and he would do with it as he liked.  He could envision himself as the second coming of Vladimir Putin.  The Empire was beginning to implode upon itself in the LOGO, and the message was being heard in the overseas areas of influence.  Was the window showing signs of slowly closing on the dream of dreams?  Was the sun setting on the round eye in the Far East?  Were the Slavs frothing at the mouth at the prospect of raising the hammer and sickle over Eastern Europe once again?

The Plague and The Lies

And then along came COVID 19.  A terrible, terrible blessing in disguise.  It hit hard and fast, and the nation was not prepared.  Nor was Trump ready to acknowledge its growing presence lest it burst the economic miracle he claimed as his own.  Instead of recognizing the danger to the populace and instituting a federal plan of preventative action, he deliberately denied and manipulated the truth that the dead body count had no ceiling. Ten million citizens were unemployed as the economy took a hit with effects that would last a long time.  Yet, his faithful base continued to believe the lies and donned their red baseball caps as he headed into the 2020 election season.

Right from the get-go, the blonde Messiah claimed that the only way he could lose the fight was if the voting process were fixed as if it was the 1919 World Series.  As the winning results poured in for Biden, The Donald let loose his dogs of war and continued to build the big lie. In effect, the radicalization of the human flotsam that made up a healthy portion of Trump’s base moved closer to a threat of anarchy. The critical divisions between the masses exacerbated the emotions of a democracy in trouble.  The divisive aspects present in religion, wealth sharing, influences of social media, multiple cultures, and the ability to achieve the American Dream continued to build as the “Enfant Terrible” fantastically played out his ‘stolen’ election theory in any court he could find.  None of these tactics played out in the end, and Donald Trump abdicated his presidential responsibilities, sent out the clarion call for action, skipped back into the dark recesses of the oval office – and closed the door.

The Populist Movement, occupied by the concerned and disregarded citizenry within the LOGO, brought Trumpism to the forefront of power.  And the hordes moved forward in an insurrection, which had a devasting effect on the American people’s psychology.

A Corner Turned?

Is this the breaking point?  Can the Empire and its global influence survive such a severe assault upon the nation’s moral fabric?  Maybe or maybe not, but the people’s fundamental belief system inside the LOGO is still strong, still present and still resilient.  Yet, it needs repair, and the incoming Biden Administration will have four years to stop the rot and close the doors on the destructive elements of populism.  Healing the domestic front and taking leadership in the international theatre will be the first step in rebuilding and preserving the Empire.  Without the respect of friends and foes alike, the economic and military presence of the Empire will be for naught.

As for Donald J. Trump’s presence, the odds are pretty good that his future will be found in a very deep sandpit on his Mar-a- Lago golf course.  As a final nod to a child-like man who has earned and been called a wide variety of descriptions, let me give you his real calling card:

Finally

“The Sun Also Rises, and One Generation Fades into Another.”

An epigraph from Ecclesiastes (Old Testament Book of Wisdom) that applied to America and its still-young Empire foresees the Phoenix rising from the ashes.  We pray this is so.