The sun sets on America
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The Sun Sets on American Empire | The American Conservative
Quote:
Calls for another American Century are closely linked to an emphasis on a peculiar, distorted understanding of American exceptionalism. At their best, recent references to this idea have been expressions of respect for America’s tradition of constitutional government, but more typically they have been little more than appeals to what was once called “national greatness conservatism,” which defines America’s worth in terms of its commitment to global hegemony and military supremacy. Just as often, these references have been clumsy appeals to a form of American nationalism in which the country is conceived of as an ideological project. When proponents of continued U.S. hegemony invoke American exceptionalism, it is usually an idea of America as a crusading power regularly interfering in the affairs of other nations that they have in mind.
Rejecting the ambitions of the American Century is to some extent “to concede that American Exceptionalism is an illusion or an outright fraud,” as Bacevich says in the concluding chapter. As long as most Americans imagine that there is a necessary link between our country’s unique and admirable qualities and an activist, hegemonic role around the world, the fantasy will persist that the American Century has never ended and can continue indefinitely. The last 70 years have been a transformative time in our history, but they do not define the whole of the American experience, nor should we mistake America’s role during this period for our country’s natural or destined role. The Short American Century serves as a timely and necessary corrective to the illusion that American global pre-eminence is unending, an empire to last, if not a thousand years, at least another hundred.
According to this new book, the American Century is on its way out. I for one won't be shedding any tears for this Empire that fell before it could rise.
From the beginning the notion of a certain Pax Americana, defined by the American hegemony was a faulty one. Nevertheless, it didn't stop the occupation and suffering of many countries. For the last 70 years, America has been a bad neighbor, constantly picking fights with with its neighors. In the process, we’ve neglected our own interests at home.
We police other countries but can't police our own borders, nor can we keep order within the country. The place is falling apart. Too much of our energy and treasure has been spent trying to boss around the rest of the world while our roads and schools and other infrastructure have started to collapse. We haven’t kept up our leadership role in manufacturing except when it comes to military hardware. We don’t do pure research unless it has military value. Thank god we’re thinking about giving up the job of being the biggest busybody on the planet.
Waking up from this American nightmare might be extremely difficult for some, but perhaps with a smaller, more friendly America, we can get back to the basics
Quote:
Calls for another American Century are closely linked to an emphasis on a peculiar, distorted understanding of American exceptionalism. At their best, recent references to this idea have been expressions of respect for America’s tradition of constitutional government, but more typically they have been little more than appeals to what was once called “national greatness conservatism,” which defines America’s worth in terms of its commitment to global hegemony and military supremacy. Just as often, these references have been clumsy appeals to a form of American nationalism in which the country is conceived of as an ideological project. When proponents of continued U.S. hegemony invoke American exceptionalism, it is usually an idea of America as a crusading power regularly interfering in the affairs of other nations that they have in mind.
Rejecting the ambitions of the American Century is to some extent “to concede that American Exceptionalism is an illusion or an outright fraud,” as Bacevich says in the concluding chapter. As long as most Americans imagine that there is a necessary link between our country’s unique and admirable qualities and an activist, hegemonic role around the world, the fantasy will persist that the American Century has never ended and can continue indefinitely. The last 70 years have been a transformative time in our history, but they do not define the whole of the American experience, nor should we mistake America’s role during this period for our country’s natural or destined role. The Short American Century serves as a timely and necessary corrective to the illusion that American global pre-eminence is unending, an empire to last, if not a thousand years, at least another hundred.
According to this new book, the American Century is on its way out. I for one won't be shedding any tears for this Empire that fell before it could rise.
From the beginning the notion of a certain Pax Americana, defined by the American hegemony was a faulty one. Nevertheless, it didn't stop the occupation and suffering of many countries. For the last 70 years, America has been a bad neighbor, constantly picking fights with with its neighors. In the process, we’ve neglected our own interests at home.
We police other countries but can't police our own borders, nor can we keep order within the country. The place is falling apart. Too much of our energy and treasure has been spent trying to boss around the rest of the world while our roads and schools and other infrastructure have started to collapse. We haven’t kept up our leadership role in manufacturing except when it comes to military hardware. We don’t do pure research unless it has military value. Thank god we’re thinking about giving up the job of being the biggest busybody on the planet.
Waking up from this American nightmare might be extremely difficult for some, but perhaps with a smaller, more friendly America, we can get back to the basics
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avorix wrote...
The Sun Sets on American Empire | The American ConservativeQuote:
We police other countries but can't police our own borders, nor can we keep order within the country.
The whole "America (and fellow European) can't be racist but everyone else in the world can be racist" problem. Honestly, go to any country in the world, what other country has different languages for a driver exam or government offices? What other country is getting forced to help out illegals due to cries of "racism"?
This led to an influx of immigrants and illegals, asylum or not and led to many problems, ghettos started happening everywhere for this reason, new "ethnic" groups happen along with nationalism of being of their own country and not American for example. For example, I have been invited to student things like MECHA, which is a "Mexican identity" thing. Then comes the term "chicano" which is mainly used on Mexicans born in the US. Well, some of these students in the group are pretty much calling for the US to return California since it was "Aztlan" the "land of the Aztecs" and all this other stuff, even though there is no solid/concrete evidence that says that and it's all speculation all around the world. Yet, they keep on pushing such things and deny the governments of both the United States and Mexico (since they don't care about this movement at all) and are looking more of a anarchist group by now.
In Mexico, such things get shut down, NO ONE can make any sort of nationalist group in the schools for other countries, reasons like this why they stay away from calling out people of different colors and just call everyone "Mexicans," there are hardly ANY places where there is any sort of English besides some help from a translator.
So why is the United States kind of forced for "multi-culturalism" when it is shown that it doesn't work? A lot of Eastern European countries and Latin American countries are similar, similar heritage and languages, yet no unification of those countries. They are all better off alone. Just look at Japan, Korea and China, (no economic/political affiliations) they have a very strong nationalist attitude in their country and they are doing just fine.
Same goes for illegal immigration and foreigners, the US is more of a slap to the hand as opposed to Mexico where you go to jail and get deported or worse if it's a continued offense.
All this "humanism" crap doesn't work in this world. So why did people push for it?
This is how I see things. Also, I have been told the information from people I know (who live in Mexico) about Mexico's laws and process etc.
I do hope America doesn't lose a lot, but I also hope the next "world leader" is not a dictatorship like China.
