The United States as an Empire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The United States as an Empire - Research Paper Example An empire is defined as an extensive group of countries under the umbrella of a single supreme authority and mainly controlled by an emperor or an empress. An empire exercises control and influence over an expanded territory beyond its original boundaries while maintaining military posts or bases throughout the world. To maintain the control, an empire conducts wars of aggression on foreign lands and goes to an extent of offering protection to other countries as well. As a way of serving the less fortunate people from other countries, an empire accepts them into its realm as unskilled laborers. The United States is well endowed with powers that do not match any other nation. The absence of serious threats to the American security that gives the United States control over foreign policy choices. Lack of military threat gives the U.S opportunities for global outreach. The military capabilities enable the U.S to support its outreach ends. The U.S military has never been challenged by an y country. For instance, in the year 2012, the U.S military spending was bigger than any other spending of other influential military powers like China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany, Italy, and Brazil all combined. This is why the U.S dominates military globally, keeping international deployment at the present level, and tackling international missions successfully (Buzan 2004, p.9). Even before the Americans were free, they already had intimations of greatness. The French and the Indian War demonstrated that the U.S forces were of significant size as per the eighteenth century standards, especially their armies on the North American continent. The Anglo-American victory determined their western boundaries and further gave them the confidence of rendering superpowers over other governments.