The article relates to many examples of terrorist attacks that put in danger the security of the United States such as the Cold War, the events on the twin towers in 2001 and the present day fight with Iraq. The terrorist attacks in the world especially those in New York on September 11 marked a new era of political structure in the American administration. Bush thinks that any threat should be eliminated and that the military power should not wait for an actual attack to the country but should do preventive attacks on terrorists groups. “The use of force, this camp argues, will therefore need to be preemptive and perhaps even preventive-taking on potential threats before they can present a major problem. (51)” The new ideals of the Bush administration towards terrorism and the importance to preserve the peace and security in the world are not only regarding their country and any further attack or thereat inside the United States but the doctrines are concerned in a world wide view were the sovereignty of each country is involved. Seeing the importance of eliminating any terrorist group at a global level the new administration ideal states that “the United States must be prepared to intervene anywhere, anytime to preemptively destroy the threat. (52)”The emerging doctrines enshrines the idea that each government is responsible of what goes inside its frontiers, therefore, the sovereignty respect of the country is under condition if it fails to act as established or thought by the Unites States. It is imperative to mention that such doctrines violate the United Nations rules of self-defense and proper use of force, having a double moral in the message exposed to the world population. “Everything else is secondary: international rules, traditions of partnership, and standards of legitimacy. (55)” Therefore, such policies are evident strategies for American Imperialism and dominance continuing with force in the new millennium.
After reading the article by John Ikenberry and searching information in other sources regarding American Imperialism, I am in complete agreement with almost the totality of major points exposed in the article. Through history the United States has demonstrated the world their ambition for imperialism but lately it has grown. Since 1898 when the Spanish American war started the country was introduced to a capitalism world with an urge to acquire new territories around the world like Cuba and Puerto Rico. These imperialist actions have continued until our present time, inspiring in the ideas of the Manifest Destiny. In Colombia our population has suffered immensely with the United States imperial aspiration; there first conquest in our territory was in 1903 with the acquisition of the Panama Canal after the obligated separation of Colombia to form an independent country. This control over the channel was a clear example of the American desire to spread there spheres of influence around the world. In the 90´s United States persecuted the use and cultivation of narcotics around the planet, with there intention of spreading their ideal and morals globally. Colombia was part of this persecution and suffered from the American intervention in its domestic political affairs, punishing President Ernesto Samper and the rest of the population hunting for a global domination. (Schiller n.pag) Actually, the new millennium has showed new interest for American political affairs as mentioned in Ikenberry’s article when he mentions that the U.S.A is fighting against terrorism seeking a complete unipolar world. For this American struggle Colombia is also a victim in the American search for a world completely free of violence; in such fight Colombia is suffering again from America new government and its interest in intervention arguing Bush’s new idea of protecting the world from terrorism. “Terrorism is only an excuse, why don’t they announce their real intervention motivation for grabbing more power for imperialism? Since when has it become the norm to send troops to another country and hit its cities with missiles and aerial bombardment because of a so called terrorism in that country? (Steelen n.pag)”
Concretely thinking about the article by John Ikenberry I believe that there are points that I don’t agree with the author and with the United States actual situation. I consider that a country regarding it size and influence in the world can not be considered all powerful and that nobody or nothing can have so much power that they can feel in the necessity of controlling a world where country sovereignty and laws exist. The actual situation in the United States is chaotic because they feel in the obligation of changing a world full of violence where the level of threats are enormously high, this country also feels that anything that happens is there problem regarding the magnitude or location; in my judgment I believe that the American political affairs are inconsistent and unreflexible with a global population in need. I also believe that the author is wrong when he mentions that Europe is not a great power. In my opinion the European community is today as powerful or even more than the United States; it is a stable alliance that is becoming a totalitarian state with the same currency, the Euro, which is today equally powerful as the American dollar. In my view considering history I see Europe as the father of colonization, expansion and in some way the roots of imperialism.
Today, the United States is seeking for a complete global domination persecuting terrorism around the world. I think that is totally unacceptable that such country is so interested in interrupting the international peace and security to show the global population its power and its need for world imperialism; in my point of view I believe that the war against terrorism especially against the Middle East is only a way to show the world its power. But what the government is not taking into account is the human tragedy around the conflict, daily the American soldiers kill more than 1,000 Muslims and what I ask my self is that although the United States hosts the United Nation and its one of the founders of such organization that works to promote the world peace and security they don’t respect the institute charter (Steelen n.pag). The same Ikenberry mentions the United Nations statute and its legal parameters in the use of force and the protection of human rights especially mentioned in the Article 51 of the agreement. Bush administration in my view should remember such rules and the importance of the United Nations for the world population and its functioning.
Concluding, I mention that American Imperialism has existed for more than a century and that most of the countries in the world have suffered from it. There ideas of expansion are strong and persevering but are the definition of a complete violation of a country sovereignty, a protection of human rights and a legality of the use of force. It is a nation that has consecrated as one of the worlds most powerful nations imposing new imperialist ideas and a continuous American ambition to preserve global security. Today a new phenomenon is surging, the European community who is becoming a threat to the United States not as a terrorist group but as an influential alliance that every day acquires more unity and power creating a stable alliance that could control the American Imperialist Ambition.
Works Cited
America’s Imperialist Ambition. John Ikenberry. Foreign Affairs, September October 2002,
Volume 81.
American “imperialism” condemned by Teheran. Steele Jonathan. Oct. 9 2001.On-line.
Internet. n.pag. Nov.9 2002.
Available.WWW:
Dominating Towards a New Century of American Imperialism. Schiller,Herbert.
Sept.1998. On-line. Internet. n.pag. Nov. 9 2002.
Available. WWW:
