Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Christ knows their struggles. While I didn't see them on my later visits, I keep this
statue—my favorite souvenir from El Salvador—on a prominent shelf in my office.
American Empire?
In my travels—whether to El Salvador, Europe, or Iran—I find that many people
outside our borders think of the US as an “empire.” But anytime I mention this back
home, I get a feisty response.
You could debate long and hard about whether the US is an empire. But in real-
ity, what you and I think is irrelevant. The fact is, much of the world views us as
an empire, and therefore, we'll be treated as one. We might not literally claim other
countries as part of our own territory. But only we can declare someone else's nat-
ural resources on the far side of our planet “vital to our national security.” When
others look at us, rather than see a hardworking, freedom-loving policeman of the
world, they see a nation with less than 5 percent of this planet's people shelling out
40 percent of the world's military spending, and maintaining military bases in 150
countries.
Every empire in history has been plagued by angry forces on its fringes that
refused to play by its rules. Romans were pestered and ultimately defeated by bar-
barians. The British dealt with and lost to colonial American guerilla patriots. The
Habsburgs were plagued by what they derided as “anarchists”…and were eventu-
ally defeated. And today, if you're hugely outgunned—as all enemies of America
are—you get creative. You shoot from the bushes like we did when we fought the
Redcoats. Our enemies know that if someone decides to fight the US, they have two
choices; be dead, or be “a terrorist.” Our challenge in combatting terrorism is that
there's always been terrorism and there always will be terrorism. It's a technique,
not an enemy.
Some might brush off American military might by saying, “Well, that's just the
government.” We are our government. We cannot rest on the notion of the “inno-
cent civilian.” If I pay taxes, I am a combatant. Any bullet that flies or any bomb
that drops—whether I agree with it or not—has my name on it. That's simply hon-
est, responsible citizenship.
I find it's helpful to view questions of US military involvement through a prism
of “hard power” (employing military might) versus “soft power” (earning good-
will through humanitarian acts). For example, imagine using our military to build
bridges and highways instead of blowing them up. It'd be better for the innocent
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