Argue the Opposite: America is not an Empire

[Cormac]

Coito - this is great idea.

I am very curious to see how you'd approach this particular argument.

I'm not being a smartass. I think you have an impressive acuity in argument.

[Ian]

I think I could argue both sides of this one. Maybe I'll try it later (dinnertime here soon).

Of course, I'm quite convinced that one side is much closer to the truth than the other.

[Seabass]

I don't think I could argue an opposite, because I don't think the answer can be boiled down to a simple yes or no answer. America is empire-ish. It is more imperial (by varying degrees) than other countries are currently, and less imperial (by varying degrees) than all previous countries which are generally considered to have been empires.

Actually, semantics is silly, and labels are well poisoners. Wouldn't it be more productive to discuss the merits and/or faults of actual U.S. policies and actions rather than whether or not America is deserving of a certain label?

Actually, that wouldn't be productive either because all the hyper-partisan blowhards would shout at each other and the reasonable people with nuanced views would go "Ugh" and give the blowhards a wide berth.

[Audley Strange]

Welcome to the wonderful world of politics.

[Ian]

I don't think I could argue an opposite, because I don't think the answer can be boiled down to a simple yes or no answer. America is empire-ish. It is more imperial (by varying degrees) than other countries are currently, and less imperial (by varying degrees) than all previous countries which are generally considered to have been empires.

That's true. Loads of grey area there, certainly not a black-and-white thing. It's a subject I've considered and written about a fair bit, and I do think it's closer to one side than the other, but the only way I could really argue for one side or the other is to flat-out ignore the other side's points, some of which are quite valid. I hate doing that.

And anyway, it's evening here and by this time of day I'm feeling about as bright and articulate as a bag of mud. Perhaps tomorrow.

[Cormac]

I don't think I could argue an opposite, because I don't think the answer can be boiled down to a simple yes or no answer. America is empire-ish. It is more imperial (by varying degrees) than other countries are currently, and less imperial (by varying degrees) than all previous countries which are generally considered to have been empires.

Actually, semantics is silly, and labels are well poisoners. Wouldn't it be more productive to discuss the merits and/or faults of actual U.S. policies and actions rather than whether or not America is deserving of a certain label?

Actually, that wouldn't be productive either because all the hyper-partisan blowhards would shout at each other and the reasonable people with nuanced views would go "Ugh" and give the blowhards a wide berth.

[Cormac]

Bump.

[JimC]

Direct rule vs exerting sufficient economic and military power to make direct rule unnecessary...