On the internet and in real life, it isn't that unusual to encounter people who never got out of their childhood indoctrination.
One time I ended up in a discussion with an individual from the Middle-east who was certain the vast conquest of lands by the Islamic forces was entirely peaceful, the most peaceful conquest in history.
Most often I encounter older people that have watched a lot of TV and cable news over the years, who just don't understand the world at all. They are gung-ho for US intervention around the world. They believe the US was “good” in the Cold War and that the US is only doing “good” in the world since the end of the Cold War.
For some reason they struggle to understand the complexity of the world and that the US has often engaged in “bad” acts, things that would shock people.
These same people might still be hurt by the trauma they experienced from the JFK assassination.
I love the USA. It is my home and my heritage. Most of my ancestors came from England in the 1600s, including some on the Mayflower. I am related to the majority of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Unlike Elizabeth Warren, I actually do have some native heritage through my ancestors in upstate New York. Some of my ancestors were Cavaliers, others Puritans.
I grew up as a raw-raw supporter of the US and happy when I found out how the US had engaged in things like coups and targeted assassinations. When a former CIA officer friend tried to recruit me into the CIA, I was pretty happy at the idea, at least until the Cold War ended and there didn't seem to have a need.
Unlike most, I am not afraid to admit the errors and flaws of my country. And I can admit that a lot of acts done over the last 30 years have been bad. I can also admit that a lot of things done in the previous 70 years were also bad.
If anyone wants a recent book on some “bad” things, I would recommend “Poisoner in Chief” about CIA MKUltra experiments and Nicholoson Baker's “Baseless” about his efforts to declassify information about Cold War biological and chemical weapons programs for a start.
Americans really have a problem with admitting that America is an empire or that it does bad things at times. It goes back deep in its past. Many colonists came to America to make a better place than back in England, with idealistic goals. The Puritans attempted to create a godly settlement, a City on the Hill, an example to the world.
Even in areas not settled by Puritans, the idealistic goal of making America a better place than Europe took hold. There also included the idea of divine providence, that God protected and guided the founding of America and inspired the creation of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. These ideas used to be very common and part of the American civic religion. These ideas also included Manifest Destiny, that America was fated to expand across the continent.
I have no problem with this backdrop. America does appear unique, even in comparison to other colonies in the New World. It created ideas that expanded throughout the world. The industry and scientific development in America, especially during the 100 years after the Civil War, was incredible.
It was not perfect. Slavery was an evil. The treatment of natives was mixed, but the natives often gave as good as they got, until they finally lost.
The imperial nature of America really took off with the Spanish American War, though it was already developing. Even the expansion across the West and the Mexican War were imperial efforts. Likewise the Monroe Doctrine, which limited European actions in Central and South America, established the US as a regional hegemon, though that was mostly limited to Central America and the Caribbean.
As America asserted itself more into world affairs, it kept up his moralizing. America viewed itself as a force for “good” and kept such rhetoric and justification in its foreign policy.
One example of this was the Philippines. For almost 2 decades after the US conquest, the US engaged in repressive policies similar to those enforced upon the Indians. An estimated 200,000 Filipinos were killed by US troops during this time. It was a bloody occupation that gradually became peaceful. Yet America was not concerned by its actions against the Filipinos, which were far worse than done to the Japanese Americans in World War 2.
It was just something empires did.
The moralizing went off the charts with President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson may be one of the most horrible individuals to occupy the White House. Wilson was full of hypocrisy and self-righteousness and never stopped promoting America as a virtuous nation.
Wilson was the son of the founder of the Southern Presbyterian Church, whose father had moved his family to the south prior to the Civil War. His father was a strong supporter of slavery and even, in spite of his religious status, had a second family with one of his slaves.
Wilson didn't believe in America or its Constitution. He believed in technocracy, the rule by experts. He hated the division of power and favored autocratic rule. He is the father of the administrative state and the architect of “liberal democracy” as we know it today, which isn't liberal or democratic, but wants experts to rule in authoritarian fashion.
His 14 Points were pure rhetoric that he didn't even believe in himself. He trampled democracy by his actions and ruled as a virtual dictator. Even prior to US entry into WWI, Wilson sent Gen. Pershing into Mexico because “I am going to teach those people to elect good men.” How is that “self-determination” or respecting the rights of countries to have “democracy”?
America has been on a moralizing imperialist pace since Wilson. It hasn't served anyone, not even America. It is costly, causes domestic turmoil, damages lives home and aboard and disrespects the sovereignty of other countries.
The American empire appears to be going away. Countries are finally acting again for their own benefit. Saudi Arabia is a great example. Our sometimes ally and the source of the Petrodollar policy is now saying “No”. It is making “peace” with Iran and working with Russia, China, and other countries in the sovereignty movement.
Likewise Turkey, a long time NATO ally, is now working with Russia and Iran.
The American empire was not about benefitting the American people. It was about controlling the world and enriching a few. When the empire is over and we reduce our foreign bases, we will be glad that the treasure is no longer wasted on enriching the few.
I suspect there will be substrates substantial noise made about this. Defense contractors like war so the they can keep making money. That Ukraine is happening now after the troop draw down in Afghanistan and Iraq is no coincidence. At some point the war gravy train of the last 90 years must end.
Instead we could have first class infrastructure and health care and rebuild the industrial base of the country. We could a much nicer and better country.
For a long time I was a fan of the Bush family. There was a fascinating book about GHWB shot down during WW2 that was riveting. Now I wonder if any of it was true. I find the Clinton’s to be so odious when I’ve seen the Bushes embrace them it makes me physically ill. Oligarchs gonna fascist, I guess….
Good post. Despite the mixed bag of good and bad decisions, I was fine with us being an empire while we fought against Commies. Now the Democrat party, which controls all major centers of authority and power is aligned with Commies against the patriotic US middle class. (I guess they call themselves the Liberal World Order now and are not technically “communists” by definition, but I’m ok with lumping them in with Commies since they’re primary interest of enslaving and killing most of us are shared goals). Anyways, the America we knew and loved died in a coup on January 6, 2021. We are now a fascist Oligarchic banana republic. Hopefully God will save us from this mess.