American Imperialism

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The term “empire” has become rather ubiquitous in our modern, globalizing world. But the framework around which to define and understand empire and the notions of imperialism within a modern context remains elusive. In trying to codify the complexities of empire, questions such as “Who is empire?”, “How is empire manifested?”, “Where can empire be seen?”, and “What is the nature of empire?” arise. Following World War II, though arguably seen as early as the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, the United States has often been referred to as an “empire” as it’s militaristic, economic, and political grasp has expanded around the world. What were once clear instances of imperial power seen in examples such as France’s expansion throughout Europe under Napoleon …show more content…
The varied economic, political, and militaristic control that the United States has wielded (and continues to wield) specifically over Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador makes these countries unlivable and has forced upon the people the decision to either migrate or unquestionably suffer at home. The United States’ deep and entangled economic interests in Latin America are exemplified in the United Fruit Company (UFCO) which was officially established in 1899. The UFCO at the time of its establishment bought extensive plots of land in Central America for exorbitantly low prices and as such was able to purchase a large majority of the countries’ arable land. Author Stephen Schlesinger underscores in his work entitled Bitter Fruit: The Untold Story of the American Coup in Guatemala that through the UFCO’s monopoly on this mono-crop culture based largely on bananas, United Fruit had unprecedented power over the Central American economies. Without many other reasonable opportunities of employment, many Central American people were forced to work on the fruit farms for paltry wages. The wealthier the United Fruit Company became, the weaker and more dependent the Central American economies and people became as well causing these countries to devolve into a cyclical process of poverty. …show more content…
The phrase “protecting the homeland” has become popular in modern discourse throughout the United States, not only in the government, but also in the media and among the civilian population. Post 9/11, a specific sector of the government called Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established specifically to address matters of the “homeland.” On the official website for the DHS there are buzzword phrases constantly being used pertaining to a variety of subjects. On the website, the DHS emphasizes phrases like “protect our borders” and “secure the homeland.” However, the website never clearly defines where those borders are or what the homeland is. This ambiguous idea of homeland and nebulous, malleable concept of borders allows the United States to extend or retract its reach as it sees fit, a quality indicative to an imperial formation as Stoler and McGranahan emphasize that empires are “…intent to establish their order by clarifying borders but as often they were not.” The United States is able to control the flows of migration by blurring borders and categorizing this control as a protection to the “homeland,” wherever that may
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