Munkler has an interesting observation about empires that also are democracies and what this means for choice of methods. “The burdens of empire are long-lasting,” he says, “but democracies have little time and are always in a hurry.” He cites in particular the impact of a four-year election cycle. As for what this means in the methods used:
Probably, Washington's growing tendency in recent years to use the military for problem-solving also has something to do with the time pressure built into democratic mechanisms. Military solutions offer themselves with a suggestion of speed and finality, so that an “empire in a hurry” may grasp at them more often than would be sensible or advisable.
Being an empire these days is tough. The difficulties do not go away by pretending one is not trying to be an empire.
Image: Jimmy Walker
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Promoting democracy and human rights is the perfect propaganda story for an empire that’s really run by Wall Street, the US war industry, and the US oil industry, all of which make fantastic profits while US national income statistics show a 15% and climbing poverty rate, and 40% have had a declining standard of living for at least the last twenty years, and probably longer. In addition, the US is the only developed country that does not give its own people universal healthcare, our financial system produces a massive scandal about every 10 years, and the US government is rarely a fair judge of other people’s disputes and problems around the world. It is ridiculous to think that the US is trying to promote a global system that is any better than what it inflicts on its own people. Canada has universal healthcare, a far less scandal ridden financial system, and now a higher average standard of living than the US. One big reason they have all this is that they are not trying to run the entire world.