Re: "Really? There I was thinking the purpose of Imperialism was economic interest and control of resources."
Really yes. What follows is a definition of yours, but even there, if that is the United States goal, it has failed miserably. You ought to come to understand free trade, and the "control(in its negative imperialistic sense, as you intended it)" it does emphatically not impart to either trading partner.
Re: "...history proves you wrong. Through out history regimes that would choose not to trade with US meet violent ends"
I certainly don't think History proves me wrong. You'd better fill me in. Sounds like you have quite a list which I've not encountered from your perspective. If you do, surely you can sum up our(the U.S.of A.) treachery in at least a few or many more, cases. Ok, Japan. Sum that up for me. I didn't know Japan had ended, only that they ceased attacking us with self-acknowledged intent to control us, after WWII's Hiroshima & Nagasaki. So then, tell me about the punch the U.S. threw first, prior to Japan declaring war against it.
Re: "Really?! Hmmm...who appointed us the world guardian"
Yes, really, being "free" and protecting the "free" are both thoroughly incompatible with "imperialism." I might say Al Qaeda would like to rule the people throughout the Muslim world and beyond, imposing themselves in a quite imperialistic way through government & laws of their choosing(of course, by their warped "religion," all for our own good).
Re: "are we such good people to be spending so much money and lives to protect the ungrateful world...why do we do it? What's in it for us?"
Well, the world is not at all wholly ungrateful as you imply here. Afghanistan is grateful, Iraqis are grateful(and oh boy, will that sentiment ever grow quickly, as if it weren't obviously huge already, particularly in terms of just removing Saddam alone). What's in it for us? It's defense against plain aggressors who openly wish to see us come to harms way. Indeed, we get security.
I see little value in propaganda, by the by. Americans tend to believe in what obviously isn't mere propaganda, but rather a bit of a wisdom born through our founding fathers. In Russia, it was and should still be, easy to know you shouldn't believe the government would take care of everything, despite the fact that it was controlling as much in its sphere as it possibly could for the "good of the people." What leads the writer of your quote to acknowledge that our "propaganda" is "persuasive," is simply the fact that it is quite good stuff, as judged by the human mind(even his defiant one).
Dan B.
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