The United States of AWESOMENESS

"We flipped our finger to the King of England
And stole our country from the Indians
With God on our side, and guns in our hand
We took it for our own"


                                                    from the song 'Merican, by The Descendants


Maybe the United States is not the first nation that comes to mind when one hears the word ’’Imperialism.’’ To be fair, European colonization of Africa, North and South America, and South and East Asia provides a rather convincing argument that the Europeans invented their own flavor of manifest destiny long before Lady USA was in the room. Who could forget the Belgian Congo, the British Raj, or the Dutch Boers? To reiterate a tired point that has oft been more eloquently stated, Europe back in the day was something of the classroom bully, perplexingly concerned with throwing down some old school imperialism rather than addressing the real needs of her perpetually feuding peoples.

Fast forward a few centuries. 1945. The United States of America at the end of World War II stands virtually alone as the world’s sole hegemonic power. In the immediate aftermath of the war, the US on its own was responsible for one third of global GDP, anchored by a strong manufacturing base that had no equal. The United States was the only power with a highly mobile, strong, and ready standing army, in contrast to the European powers, which had just lost an entire generation of young men. Lastly, at that moment the United States was the only nation that had atomic capabilities, the power of which had just been demonstrated to the entire global community. The American Empire had arrived, founded on the bygone European world order, the pragmatic military and civilian discipline of her people, and the time honored ideas and principles of her founding ideology. 

The critically acclaimed and highly esteemed journalist and historian Tom Brokaw famously referred to the brave men and women of this era as "The Greatest Generation." Recognizing the inherent strength and devotion of a people who had been called to serve, left their families, traveled across the world to fight for their values and the rights of entire peoples, societies, and cultures that they had never met, and then returned home to quietly start families of their own, Brokaw’s title of veneration for these individuals was earned in trenches and fields in Europe and jungle islands in the Pacific Ocean, in dense forests and freezing foxholes outside Bastiogne, and in flashing red and yellow German skies. The great sacrifice that those individuals freely made for their young nation cannot be measured in blood alone, but in the valor and inspiration of their august legacy.

There is an appropriate proverb that states: “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Within one generation, the United States experienced an about-face in its foreign policy mentality; shifting from a nation initially opposed to entering World War II to an interventionist rational state actor whose narrow strategic doctrine focused almost exclusively on economic philosophy rather than social justice. Most notoriously though surprisingly unheeded is the Central Intelligence Agency, which assumed the lead role in a series of assassinations during the 1960’s and 1970’s that eliminated democratically elected leaders in South America and Africa and replaced them with brutal dictators simply because of a perceived affiliation of the former with Marxist ideology.

Today the US remains the world’s largest economy, measured by the Gross Domestic Product, as well as the world’s most capable military. But the US will not remain the sole global hegemony for much longer. The GDP of the People’s Republic of China is projected to surpass that of the United States within the lifetime of the emerging generation. Combined with the commercial potential of India, the possibility of a third global polarity in South and East Asia is quickly becoming a constructivist reality. Economic growth in South America is spearheaded by a diversified and powerful Brazilian economy. Economic and political integration in the European Union, as well as the possibility of subsequent expansion, will continue to maintain the status of the Old World as an important player and polarity, one that considered as a whole already exceeds US GDP. Given all of these changes to international structures and relations, where is the outlet for US imperialism?

      

The answer is its culture. When compared to their European counterparts, on the surface it may seem as though the US lacks a truly distinct culture of its own. The United States is, after all, a nation of immigrants who carried parts of their culture with them into the land of opportunity. In a sense, the United States has no culture of its own; any traditions are simply the transplanted remnants of existing customs imported from their original nations.

My personal conviction is that the above viewpoint is mistaken. While the cultural identity remains much more homogenous in Europe, the culture of the United States is literally immeasurable by comparison, as its culture is one of intrinsic diversity manifest through waves of immigration spread over three centuries.  Furthermore, the United States is large in geographic area as well as population, which allows for considerable regional variation in culture. The nation of preppy New England polo teams is the same nation of the all out, in-your-face bloodbath showdowns of Texan Football rivalries. Urban cosmopolitan socialites and rural based free-spirited cowboys may live within 75 miles of each other or 3,000 miles apart. Highly disciplined and politically oriented students work as interns for government agencies or NGOs on the East Coast while their hardcore partygoer friends on the other side of the country rush out of class to go snowboarding in Aspen. And amid this beautiful diversity, the holy, venerated land of milk and honey that is the Midwest remains a shining beacon of superiority to which the rest of the nation may one day aspire.


There are important and ignored arguments and examples to be made in favor of the concept of US culture. The valuable contribution of immigrant communities is a valuable and enriching asset to its home community. Consider the following: The oldest Muslim community in the nation is in Detroit, where some Muslim families have held local delis and cafes for three generations (the same amount of time that both sides of the Saint Luc Family have called the US their home). Maine has a large population of Palestinians, as well as an internationally recognized summer camp that integrates their children with Israeli children. Minnesota has a large population of Somalians. A mid size suburb 30 miles outside Chicago is home to an unusually large number of really cool class individuals, and also Lithuanians. Indians are everywhere, and one can even find bhangra competitions with full Punjabi teams in Buffalo, New York. Et cetera, et cetera.


There is no better illustration of the popularity of US soft power as in the music industry. MTV and VH1 rule the airwaves from the City of Fallen Angels (Los Angeles) to the City of frites, mussels, European Bureaucracy, and racist checkpoint officials (Bruxelles) and beyond. The soundtrack of the United States is everywhere. Even if a new trend originates elsewhere, the US will Americanize it and make it their own. Big Brother, originally a Dutch creation, made its way to the US in the form of the Road Rules and Real World shows that everyone except for me watched during the 1990's. Later, reality TV would develop into the Simple Life or Rich Girls, until finally it would reach the pinnacle of its existence in JERSEY SHORE. 


While the US may finally be ceding its economic edge to the rising Dragon in the East, it is important to remember that no single nation will surpass the US's hard power capabilities within this generation or the next. Additionally, the popular culture of the United States will continue to ensure that the US plays the lead role in defining the in vogue soft power components of society. And the social reality for most US citizens yet offers an unmatched level and depth of diversity that is experienced nowhere else in the world. The US does not need to spread its culture. The rest of the world already does that for us.