It mostly started with the cold war. The US was obsessed with stopping the perceived threat of communism. In the process, it discovered the benefits of power mongering and war profiteering.
Why does America feel the need to control the world? Do what they say? Instead of taking care of their own problems at home? When did the US become police officer of the world and enforcer?
Submitted 10 months ago by Patnou@lemmy.world to nostupidquestions@lemmy.world
Comments
salacious_coaster@infosec.pub 10 months ago
AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com 10 months ago
It most definitely did not start in the cold war. The US was happily invading and controlling the politics of as much of the continent of the Americas well before WW2, with stuff such as the United Fruit Company or the Big Stick Ideology. The 1898 invasion of Cuba and establishment of a military junta comes to mind.
undefined@lemmy.hogru.ch 10 months ago
I’ve heard a theory that when new presidents come into office they usually aren’t interested in being involved in conflicts. What happens is that something will happen in the world and the newly elected president will have an enormous amount of power at his disposal. Wanting to do good in the world the president will typically go for it.
I wish I could recall the name of the theory or provide references; maybe someone else can chime in.
ThrowawayPermanente@sh.itjust.works 10 months ago
Hammer/Nail Theory?
pinball_wizard@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
I don’t know the name of the theory, but it’s sure noticeable that candidates have diverse values while sitting presidents act earily similar.
A generous assumption could be that they have consistent advisors.
A realist assumption could be that they have consistent funding sources.
A particularly dark assumption is that they face the same threats to their loved ones.
And of course, an adorable meme child says “Why not both?”
the_abecedarian@piefed.social 10 months ago
There are privileges to being an empire and the capitalists in the US continue to use that empire to get access to those privileges. Favorable trade, commercial, and financing terms are a big one.
Also the US war industry pushes the country to intervene. You can see how there are interventionist and isolationist movements in the US fighting right now over how much the US gets directly involved in Iran-Israel.
Peter_Arbeitslos@feddit.org 10 months ago
It’s not about the USA, it’s about (powerful) countries in general. Russia, China, USA, … If someone has power (or wants to have it looks on North Korea) they want to keep it.
AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com 10 months ago
What exactly has China done militarily over the past 45 years that leads you to compare it to the US? China is predominantly a peaceful world power which hasn’t invaded any country over the past half a century.
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 10 months ago
Also definitely not genocidal. /s
starlinguk@lemmy.world 10 months ago
They want more power, they don’t just want to keep it. I don’t get it, isn’t it absolutely exhausting?
Steve@communick.news 10 months ago
After world war two, Europe was busy putting itself back together. It left an opening that the US stepped into. And who wouldn’t like to be the big dog in the yard.
plyth@feddit.org 10 months ago
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis
Took 10 years untill 1956
Valmond@lemmy.world 10 months ago
They (the USA) got to be the big dog, protecting us in europe, and we let them the hard & soft power. Everyone was happy (in the US and Europe) until americans started to believe their own hype that thay are in fact better than other people, and thus the breakup began.
It’s not over just yet with the usa supremacy but trump fucked things up so bad that IMO ten years from now the world will be a different place.
AES_Enjoyer@reddthat.com 10 months ago
protecting us in europe
Protecting Europe from what exactly? What military threat did the US fight against in Europe? There hasn’t been an attack to western Europe since WW2 until the US bombing of Yugoslavia.
theywilleatthestars@lemmy.world 10 months ago
City on a hill bay bay /s