Random Thought About Imperialism

Three and a half years ago, before we got involved in Iraq, The Economist or The Weekly Standard had a cover article entitled "The American Empire." This was not my magazine, and I asked my friend the subscriber what the article was all about, thinking he would reject the idea of American Imperialism. To my surprise, his response was that the article was simply a recognition of the facts: that whether we wanted it or not, America had become an empire, and that we should now act as one.

I believe, whether well founded or not, that the United States is exceptional in the history of the world. Or exceptional in the history of the Western world, at least. In very real ways, when Europeans crossed the Atlantic and established colonies on this continent, they broke with their traditions and culture. They consciously chose to not replicate the European problems on this continent. An example of this is the acceptance of Jews in the United States. Anti-Semitism was a scourge of Europe that was not tranferred to the New World in part because the people who moved here rejected the anti-Semitic tradition.

But it this change in culture was not simply a matter of choice. It was also a matter of necessity, or rather disability. Some aspects of European culture could not have been replicated on this continent simply because it is too disconnected from the European power structures. The Catholic Church would have much less influence in American life in the eastern colonies not just because the English colonists were largely Protestants, but also because the Church was not established here. Lacking that "establishment," colonists were immediately free to follow their conscience in private while maintaining an unfettered and active public life.

So, the United States is a land of hope. Hope that each person will enjoy liberty, hope that self-determination will triumph, and hope that where you are going is not determined by where you came from. In short the U.S. is a chance at a new start.

Naturally, that is not the whole story. When Europeans crossed the Atlantic, they brought slaves, racism, and colonialism in its worst forms. Many of the differences between the U.S. and Europe are very positive, but we cannot overlook our problems. Early Americans were driven to kill and expel American Indians because they believed the Indians were an inferior culture. Slavery was protected in early colonial constitutions, and rationalized by pre-emininent thinkers, such as John Locke, who we still respect today. These ideas and cultural traits, just as our hope, are part of our history. So, in the United States, this land of hope, certain rather unexceptional aspects of European culture were implanted.

Those unexceptional aspects include some political traditions, notably imperialism. The United States has been part of the empires of Spain, France, and England. Imperialism, however, seems directly at odds with what makes the United States exceptional. There is no room for self-determination in a country controlled by an empire. It is nonetheless a form that we understand and can easily replicate.

The question, then, is if we are to be an empire, what kind will we choose to be? Certainly, no two empires are the same. But there is a choice between following the European traditions we have inherited to create empires similar to those common throughout history and following the traditions that are uniquely American to create an empire of national self-determination and personal freedom. And it is still a matter of choice, because regardless of what we have done in the past three and a half years, where this country goes will be determined by our subsequent choices.

For me, the choice is clear.

The next question is what would this sort of empire look like? I do not have a full answer to that yet, and so I will leave it here for now.

BANNED!

From redstate.org. All for calling a guy's arguments cromulent.

http://www.redstate.org/comments/2005/11/8/132151/390/39#39