Many sources written by multiple authors, question, prove or simply argue about the truth of American Imperialism and its effects on world politics.

Many sources written by multiple authors, question, prove or simply argue about the truth of American Imperialism and its effects on world politics. According to viable documents, imperialism is the policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations. American Imperialism has in some way fed the ideas of the American Dream and in some ways acquired various similarities of the book, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. This notion, has been a subject to change depending on the scheme it has been applied, and has also brought results into politics and governmental issues that have contributed with the strength and wealth of the nation. Throughout times past, the United States have been in some aspects suitable father of this theory and have applied throughout many points in history. Citizens remember the acquisition of the Spanish colonies, the annexation of Hawaii, and the Monroe Doctrine, which clearly stress imperialism throughout time in the United States. Without further a due, the purpose of this paper is to focus on the article by John Ikenberry, called; America’s Imperialist Ambition, its contents and its responses towards and by other nations in return. Perhaps it is important to accentuate, that ideas of different other authors and major points of various articles will be also plotted to discuss the truth of the previously mentioned piece of writing. American Imperialism, has set the standards of certain politics present in the present United States and will still help prepare the nation for upcoming events.

John Ikenberry’s text, opens up to its readers by emphasizing that America has a vision in which sovereignty is one of the major goals for a nation’s stability. Among many other radical policies, it is said that for Americans, neoimperialist views threaten its status towards the international community and in some ways it is likely to fail. According to the text, the United States is one of the major world powers with immense leadership and recognized power. It is also in the look of settling differences with other supremacies and spread spheres of influence for benefit and for superior authority. “The principal aim of American foreign policy is to integrate other countries and organizations into arrangements that will sustain a world consistent with US interests and values (Ikenberry, pg 48).” One of the goals set up by the nation is to spread its imperialist views to other nations to avoid further conflict and wars. It is trying to open up to other nations, stretch bonds, and beneficial relations to achieve mutuality and stability. To achieve such steadiness, the USA, will operate under a global system of power to move faster than other nations and advance in technology and other ways. “There are known unknowns (Ikenberry, pg 50).” This quote not only relates to technology and its related features, but also to war and terrorist attacks that may jeopardize sovereignty in the country. Many examples such as conflicts during the Cold War, September 11, and present day quarrel with Iraq, are some of the examples mentioned that have been dealt with during the last three administrations present in the United States. According to many policies, those nations who play with fire, are subjected to pay a price. In other words, the United States is doing as much as possible to preserve security in the nation and to deal with imperialism. The critical task in any administration is to take terrorists away, therefore, sovereignty entails obligations. Many historians and other people say that if the United States attaches to the liberal and realist ideas, the results will not be positive. The American Ambition appears when the United States takes American imperialist ideas to an extreme. America’s strategies of imperialism and dominance are wide spreading, taking account the terrorism threats that may arise. One of today’s major goals for the nation is to spread imperialism through the ambition that the United States possess.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Taking into account the article’s contents, and major themes, I certainly agree with some of the main points highlighted by the author. It is a fact that throughout history and present days, the United States has been a nation of high prospects and clear ideals. There have been many events during times past, that have marked many American Ideas and influenced many other lands. Everything started in 1898 during the Spanish American war, when the United States entered a world of capitalism and control over many colonies such as Cuba and Puerto Rico (Lovestone, n.pag). Other major conquests in the Pacific Ocean were Hawaii, the Philippines (temporarily) and Guam. These islands served as gateways for markets and commerce and the United States paid fortunes for these islands (Lovestone, n.pag). One of the main conquests made by the United States which I feel highly connected to, was the acquisition of the Panama Canal zone when the strip separated from Colombia in 1903. The United States, acquired control of the Canal for many years, until 2000, when the Panamanian government actually took over the zone and its administration (Lovestone, n.pag). These actions throughout history were largely related to Americas Imperialist Ambition and to some of the goals of the nation to spread spheres of influence, while maintaining sovereignty and protection in their lands. America is definitely one of the world’s most powerful nations and has one of earth’s most stable government, therefore I fully agree that some of the imperialist ideas mentioned in the first article are definitely true, and in my opinion, the United States is one of the nations that faces its future with some clear views, but with possible uncertain results. One never knows what lies beneath the horizon until it is explored.

Even though the main article is totally right with some of the points already mentioned, I also believe, it has some flaws that need to be corrected or simply overviewed. Ikenberry states that the United States is the largest power existing nowadays on earth. I think that is untrue, taking into account that it is one of the big authorities. “If the major European and Asian states play the rules, the great-power order will remain stable. (In a way, it is precisely because Europe is not a great power – or at least seems to eschew the logic of great-power politics - that it is now generating so much discord with the United States (Ikenberry, pg 46)).” This quote, in my opinion, is totally false. How can a person say that Europe is not a great power? Today, the European Community is concentrating and slowly becoming a stable union with similar interests and same currency, the Euro. Throughout history, Europe has been known as one of the strong centralized powers with world dominance. The first colonists of the United States were actually English and the first Spanish colonist in Latin America was European as well. Europe, controls all the roots of imperialism, colonization and expansion, and during history, the United States is somehow compared to a small portion of what Europe managed to be. Nowadays, it is not like that. “Imperialism is empire building. Expansion occurs when one state is more
powerful than are the obstacles to expansion. The obstacles may be other states or peoples, or they may be geographic or physical or technological obstacles (European Imperialism, n.pag).” Talking about empires, Europe managed to have many empires throughout its lands and conquests. During the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, imperialism in Europe was a theory with great importance and wide response. Industrialization was one of the initiatives that boosted imperialism throughout the unknown. France, Portugal, Spain, Holland and England were some of the nations that in those times fought separately (unlike the United States) for colonies and acquired many lands (European Imperialism, n.pag). The English colonists in some way may be called America’s fathers. Trade, curiosity, and personal initiative for well-being were some of the reasons that led many European colonists to explore the new lands and eventually settle there. Another fact which is also uncertain in the text, talks about the militia. “The United States will use its unrivaled military power to manage the global order (Ikenberry, pg 49).” Going back to the past, European nations had much more powerful militias than the one in the United States. Probably, now a days, this powerful nation does have the most powerful militia, I don’t know, but I think that this statement is arrogant and out of context. Europe is a powerful nation and it started Imperialist Ideas in many ways and worldwide events.

Clearly, the reader has settled differences from the author and its text, based on alternate articles and historical facts. The United States has consecrated as one of the world’s most powerful nations and a burly power. It has shed many imperialist ideas, and continues with ambition in order to preserve security, fight terrorism and protect the sovereignty of its citizens. In the present America is a fearful nation facing destiny with new technological inventions and vanguard devices. Hence, going back to the roots of the dilemma, Europe is a strong fearful power, known as the father of imperialist ambition and many postulates that go along with it. Day after day, the European Community is gaining strength, unity and equilibrium and by any moment, it will be ready to strike, not as a terrorist measure, but in self-defense and protecting its sovereignty and stableness. Each nation possesses its differences, but both are major powers and they also want to attack terrorism and acquire safeness, through some imperialist measures.

Works Cited

America’s Imperialist Ambition. John Ikenberry. Foreign Affairs, September Otober 2002, Volume 81,

European Imperialism in the 19th Century

www2.sunysuffolk.edu/westn/imperialism.html

Lovestone, Jay. "American Imperialism: The Menace of the Greatest Capitalist World Power." (Chicago: Workers Party of America, n.d. [1925]). http://www.boondocksnet.com/ai/ailtexts/loveston.html In Jim Zwick, ed., Anti-Imperialism in the United States, 1898-1935. http://www.boondocksnet.com/ai/ (Nov. 4, 2002). (Today's date).