Is it possible for us to walk away from Empire?

[DerekG]

Seems like we were set on the path of perpetual war when Truman delivered his bullshit Doctrine address in '47 (Thanks a lot Harry), and, at the risk of being labeled an isolationist, I'm mighty sick and tired of watching my government stick its nose in where it doesn't belong (i.e., pretty much everywhere).

Is it conceivable in any way that we ditch our little empire venture? We don't seem to be very good at it, we've wasted a lot of money, and we've murdered millions upon millions of human beings. I say we call it quits and mind our own store.

[yourout]

1. delete.....wrong thread.

[eridani]

2. If Britain and the former Soviet union can do it, so can we n/t

[guillaumeb]

3. Britain and the USSR only abandonned Empire

when they could no longer afford Empire.

The US has always been at war, from the original Revolution on. It has invaded nearly every country on earth, with the exception of those countries with no economic and/or military strategic value. It has invaded both of its North American neighbors, as well as most of the South American ones. And many Americans wonder why people distrust American intentions.

The Empire requires resources. Taking resources requires a military. That, not defense, is why the US spends more on its war machine than every country on earth combined. That, not defense, is why the US has over 700 military bases all over the globe. That is why the US cannot abandon the Middle East. Oil runs the war machine and the Middle East has oil.

Eternal war in service to the rich!

[jwirr]

5. Exactly. Read "The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers" by Paul Kennedy and "Sorrows of Empire"

by Chalmers Johnson. Over stretch is the problem - spending so much on foreign wars that they can not spend at home when it is needed.

[Agnosticsherbet]

4. Yes, if Americans are willing to take the massive economic collapse caused by its end.

When British empire ended and the pound was not longer the reserve country, they went into a decade long economic slump.

We are the reserve currency now, and nations hold billions, perhaps sever trillion, in US dollars. The end of the empire means that a new nation will become the reserve currency, probably China. Countries would divest of the dollar and we would see massive inflation that would lead to a recession, perhaps a depression.

The US Governments employs about 2.5 million full time and about 1.25 million part time civilian employees. Without our empire, we would need only a fraction of those people. Most of them would become unemployed.

The US Military has around 1.5 million active duty and 1.25 reservists. Without a government the works to influence nations across the planet, most of those would join the unemployed.

Now, no one here would grieve for corporations that build weapons or serve the national security establishment. They do provide for more than a million jobs, and those companies would mostly cease to exist.

So we would see millions of people unemployed, in an economy in free fall. Government spending would collapse since there is no empire to maintain and a massive drop in tax revenue with an economy in free fall.

Yes, we could divest ourselves of empire. Since all empires fall, it is inevitable that we will eventually go through this. It might be wise to start the process, go through it more slowly so that, maybe, the worst of the economic collapse can be eased. But it should be talked about during a presidential election when Americans have a chance to vote for the people who will do it or vote for the other side.