American Empire Steps Up Fourth Expansion
By People's Daily Online
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, March 11, 2003
At the time of its founding in 1776, the United States was
composed of only 13 British colonies in the East Coast, its
territory at that time was like a small long strip. Today, the
American territory stretches across the European continent,
reaching the Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the
west, bordering on the Caribbean Sea in the south and nearing the
Arctic Ocean in the north.
US military, political and economic influence is spreading across
the globe, it was called the world's only superpower after the end
of the Cold War and was defined as a "Global Empire" by Western
scholars. A large batch of articles and books announced the
"arrival of an "American empire".
In a short space of 200-odd years' time, the United States has
developed from a small colony into a peerless empire of today, the
reasons for this are: besides the fact that the country enjoys
perennial relative political stability, continuing scientific and
technological innovations and new achievements in economic
development, but an important reason for this is, without doubt, its
constant external expansions.
Expansion is an eternal theme in American history, as well as a
main line running through US foreign policy. American diplomatic
historian Williams described the American act of establishing an
"empire" by relying on power politics as the American "way of life".
When the European immigrants just set foot on "the new
continent" the America, they found there was neither tile over their
heads nor a speck of land under their feet. Therefore, the first task
for the new immigrants in the America was to expand westward
from the East Coast they landed. This instinct reaction was
integrated with US unique commercial expansion spirit and the
puritan's "concept of mission" to become the theoretical
foundation and fundamental characteristics of US external
expansion.
The history of expansion divided into four stages
The American history of expansion can be divided into four stages:
First, continental expansion stage; second, overseas expansion
stage; third, the stage of global contention for hegemony; and
fourth, the stage of world domination. The continental expansion
stage features mainly traditional territorial expansion, the second,
third and fourth stages feature mainly the expansion of its
economic, military and cultural influence. Completion of the
expansion process in each stage brought tremendous benefits to
the United States.
The commercial spirit and expansion ideology triggered by
commercial capital not only affected the formulation of US foreign
policy, but also became a distinguishing characteristic of US
history of expansion. The commercial expansion spirit runs
through the four stages of expansion, this is entirely different from
the expansion of the Roman Empire, but is close somewhere to
the expansion of the British Empire. In a sense, the American
expansion ideology originated from the British Empire. British
thinker John Locke, based on the theory of "natural right", held that
domestic development needed the expansion of empire. Benjamin
Franklin accepted and developed this ideology, he asserted that
the United States needed to "constantly acquire new land to open
up living space". This idea affected a whole generation of US
thinkers. During the US-Spanish War, well-known railway king Hill
said openly: If you review the commercial history, you will discover
anyone who controls oriental trade will get hold of global wealth.
After its independence, the United States naturally inherited this
commercial spirit. Protecting American commercial monopoly or
advantageous position became the primary objective of US
external expansion. The direct fuse which led to US involvement in
World War I was that its free trade position was challenged.
In order to serve commercial capital, the fatalism believed in by
British puritans was brought to the United States and has been
taken deep root in the hearts of the Americans with the passage of
time, becoming an important component of their ideology. People
outside the United States invariably criticize the United States for
expanding its national interests under the banner of morality. As a
matter of fact, even the Americans themselves find it hard to
distinguish which matter is expanding national interests under the
banner of "enforcing justice on behalf of Heaven" and which is
propagating their ideology and concept of value on the plea of
national interests. When the first group of colonialists arrived in the
America by the boat, the "Flower of May", they declared in the
"Contract of the Flower of May" that their aim to come to the
America was to "carry forward their belief in the Jesus Christ". In
the 40s of the 19th century, fatalism was developed into the
"concept of manifest destiny" unique to the United States, i.e., it
holds that the system and concept of value of the American
continent are the best things in human society, and that the United
States has the duty and obligation to help other countries and
nations having the fill of sufferings, at least the United States is the
beacon lighting up the way for the development of other countries
and nations and it can even force its best things on other countries
by the method of Crusades.
From continental expansion to global contention for
hegemony
Continental expansion stage extended from the founding of the
United States to the eve of the American-Spanish War. This stage
featured prominently territorial expansion. In the early period after
its birth, the United States was very weak in strength, but it took
advantage of the good opportunity offered by Europe which was
busy coping with the Napoleon War, in 1803 it bought up
Louisiana, in 1810 and 1813, it twice occupied west Florida,
dependency of Spain, and took away east Florida from the hands
of Spain in 1819. Thereafter, the United State began large-scale
westward movement. By the end of the 19th century, US territory
had extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, first of
all it became a colossus in the international community, this
constituted a solid foundation for its later becoming mighty, as well
as a necessary prerequisite for its becoming a world power.
The overseas expansion stage extended from the US-Spanish
War to the end of World War II. During this period, the United
States had become one of the principal capitalist countries in the
world, with substantial strength and began to contend for colonies
with other colonialists. In 1898 the United States declared war
against Spain, an old-brand colonialist power, opening the history
of US overseas expansion. At the end of the war, Spain was
forced to abandon Cuba, the United States acquired Guam, the
Philippines and Puerto Rico. The US-Spanish War resulted in the
expansion of US spheres of influence beyond the Caribbean
region and Central America, finally forming its direct or indirect
political and economic control over Latin America. Before the
outbreak of World War I, the United States turned Latin America
into its own "backyard". During this period, US influence rapidly
expanded from the continent of North America to the Pacific
region, East Asia and the entire Latin America.
The stage of global contention for hegemony ranged between
1946 and 1991, i.e., the Cold War period. US-Soviet contention for
hegemony or US containment of the Soviet Union became the
main characteristic of this stage. As World War II just ended, US
President Harry S. Truman put forward Truman Doctrine,
contested with the Soviet Union for the vast intermediate zones,
went all out to expand its spheres of influence and blocked its
rivals. The United States first extended economic aid to Europe
through the Marshall Plan to make Europe depend on the United
States economically; through establishing NATO and stationing
troops in Europe, American influence in the continent had reached
an unprecedented degree and Europe had become US "little
partner". In the Asia-Pacific region, the United States established
relations of military alliance with countries like Australia, New
Zealand, Republic of Korea, Japan and the Philippines. At this
point, the contest between the United States and the Soviet Union
for spheres of influence had expanded to the Middle East and
Africa and indeed the whole world. However, owing to the
existence of its rival, the Soviet Union, the United States could not
monopolize these regions, and could only contend for them with
the Soviet Union.
Powerful expansion for world domination began after the
end of the Cold War
The disintegration of the Soviet Union after the conclusion of the
Cold War led to the disappearance of the only power that could
confront the United States which put on rising hegemonic airs and
did whatever it pleased, characterized by its simultaneous use of
military, economic and cultural means. Besides, in the more than
10 years after the conclusion of the Cold War, European and
Japanese economies have long been in the doldrums, and Russia
and China have been in the economic restructuring period, while
the American economy has entered the best historical period and
long remained in the period of growth. So, at the beginning of the
21st century, the US position as the "sole superpower" has further
strengthened, there is a rising cry for the establishment of a "new
empire" in the United States.
After the "September 11" incident, the theory on establishing the
American century or a new empire has acquired a bigger market.
Exponents of this theory hold that establishing an American
empire is an unavoidable duty for the United States. After the
"9.11" terrorist attacks, the United States began a new round of
powerful expansion, with the aim of expanding the US spheres of
influence to the whole world. Iraq was chosen as the first target for
this new round of expansion.
When will the US fourth round of expansion end depends on the
final outcome of the following two wars: US impending war against
Iraq, and the war waged by the Al-Qaeda network and world
terrorist forces against the United States. If US war on Iraq could
end in victory, it would further give a powerful impetus to the force
for the establishment of US empire. But many American experts
and scholars maintain that the United States should not choose a
road by which to establish global order or an American empire
through unilateralism-based military actions. Only when the United
States refrains from taking the road of pursuing global empire, can
it avoid terrorists' bombs or other forms of attacks befalling on its
own territory.
fpeng.peopledaily.com.cn |
