The USA plays an essential role in the different parts of the modern world, claiming world leadership in economics and military power. However, it is difficult to call it an empire and compare it with the British or Ottoman country. With a developed economy, significant military power, and financial potential, the USA became the empire of the new type, which has its specifics and some peculiarities.
American empire differs from the concept of an empire that people are used to investing in it. While the Ottoman Empire was characterized by the complete dependence of the local authorities on the central government, most local American lows “remain subject to two sets,” submitting to “federal and state constitutions” (Sutton 3). For instance, this year, the Texas judge blocked the edict of Biden, which limited migrant deportations. Moreover, unlike empires, where the population consisted of one nation, America is a multinational country. Thousands of migrants live here, each of whom has preserved his mentality. An example of this is the annual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day by Irish Americans. Hopkins claims that “the concept of empire is no longer confined by constitutional certainties,” but “it’s new, enlarged boundaries remain imprecise” (23). Thus, the USA is not the type of empire that history has known before.
The authorities sometimes make decisions that provoke citizens’ protests to maintain the empire’s image. The Tramp’s isolationist policy, for instance, displeased the US residents. The other example is that only in 2021 the USA stopped participating in the war in Afghanistan, although the understanding that it was necessary to retreat had originated in 2011. More than 100 000 American troops fought in this war, with thousands killed and tens of thousands injured (Glaser and Mueller 3). However, to leave meant to admit defeat, which would be a big blow to the reputation and pride of the empire.
America’s status as an empire has been discussed for a long time. If the American political system is compared with the British or Ottoman empires, their differences are immediately striking. Therefore, America is a new type of empire of the modern world; it is a strong multinational state that is sometimes forced to make decisions that the population does not meet with approval to become even more powerful.
Works Cited
Glaser, John, and John Mueller. “Overcoming Inertia: Why It’s Time to End the War in Afghanistan.” Cato Institute Policy Analysis, no. 878, 2019.
Hopkins, Antony. American Empire: A Global History. Princeton University Press, 2018.
Sutton, Jeffrey. 51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law. Oxford University Press. 2018.