Did you know that USA is an imperialist country?

[Samantha_17]

That means using other countries' resources to generate wealth for its population.

For example, it is getting cheap bor minerals and wolfram from middle east in order to build spacecrafts and weapons.

It is getting cheap petrol from Iraq.

Its companies are using the cheap labor in India, Vietnam and China to produce goods (cars, shoes, fridges, air conditioners and so on)...

[MarkRet]

It's true, the USA is an imperialist country, and has done some shameful things in the past, like invading, conquering, and jacking up Hawaii, or picking a war with Spain just to occupy Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Phillipines, or putting the Shah in power in Iran. On the other hand, the USA has been more helpful and generous than any other major country. It was the USA that saved Europe's ass from Hitler, and when WW2 was over, rebuilt Europe (including Germany). When the Great Powers around 1900 were carving up 'spheres of influence' territories in China, the US would have no part of it. Japan attacked the US in WW2, but after the war was over, the US actually gave back to Japan half the islands they had occupied. Do you think the Russians will ever give back to Japan any of the Kuril Islands? I really doubt it.

Whenever there's some earthquake or health epidemic anywhere in the world, it's mostly US money and technical assistance that comes to the rescue. When AIDS was first spreading through Africa, the Africans themselves were begging the US to do something. Only the US donates books, clothing, whatever, to Haiti. I don't think the French donate anything to Haiti. Other countries complain about US military involvement in their region, but do you think the Horn Of Africa is better off under those Somali pirates, or Ukraine being bullied by Russia? Personally, I wouldn't care if the US military shut all their bases in Europe, and brought ALL the US troops home. Let Europe protect themselves.

[Grond21]

Well said!!

[SilverRain92]

... the USA has been more helpful and generous than any other major country. It was the USA who saved Europe's ass from Hitler.

Do you really think that the USA won the WWII just by itself? The US contributed a lot but it defeated less than 25% of German troops in total.

[SilverRain92]

Yes, it is. But not because it's getting cheap resources and producing high tech production. The reason for that is because it forces other countries to act like it wants using economic, financial, ideological and military means. It spends a lot of money for deploying military bases abroad (American military budget is much higher than military budgets of other countries). It invades other countries without legal reasons, it systematically intervenes into internal affairs of other countries using its embassies, NGOs and media. It claimed its laws to have a global jurisdiction and imposes sanctions against those countries which don't want to follow American laws. So yes the US is an imperialist country. But not the only one though.

[Samantha_17]

Agreed. Thank you.

[Samantha_17]

"it systematically intervenes into internal affairs of other countries using its embassies, NGOs and media."

Well said.

[Izumiblu]

By this standard every country is imperialist.

It’s called trade.

For instance, did you know that Iraq is an imperialist country? It sells oil to the US at in concurrence with an oil cartel (opec) to maximize its profits to generate wealth for the country?

Funny how tat works in both directions.

[Samantha_17]

Iraq is only using 1% of its petrol wealth for its population thanks to USA invasion. Go live there.

[Izumiblu]

Not my government and not my problem how they choose to distribute the wealth within their country.

They enter the oil market under the protection of a cartel that has nothing to do with the US. The US has does not take payments from Iraq or subsidies through trade.

Now, im one that was against the war in Iraq to begin with because im perfectly happy with the Iraqis living with/under Saddam Hussein, like I give two shits about about what they do. But if you want to make a case about imperialism, describing a trade arrangement isn't it.

[Samantha_17]

Saddam was USA's man. He was backed by USA and its allies during the war with Iran big time. He was able to build a corrupt empire (BAAS regime) there thanks to USA.

[Izumiblu]

I always like Hussein... I thought they should have left him alone.

[Izumiblu]

I mean you should kind of decide where you wanna land on this, either you preferred Saddam or you preferred the war. If you would have preferred Saddam stay then im with you on that.

[Samantha_17]

Complicated matter. Iraq is a difficult country to manage due to very different groups of people making up the population. Saddam was sort of managing that by using dictatorial powers.

[Izumiblu]

Well, yeah. I tend to think that's kind of the only way that Iraq would be stable in that region. Seems to me like Iraq was better off with Saddam overall.

[Britantic]

Imperialists dont pay for resources, they take them. The Saudis are super rich from trading oil as are most middle eastern countries, there'd be nothing in the middle East only for the oil.
Having goods manufacturer abroad helps those nations but doesn't help America.

[ForbesMagazine]

"That means using other countries' resources to generate wealth for its population."

By that definition trade is imperialism?

If you mean the US is taking advantage of poor countries, yes it is. You also forgot to mention immigration which is the biggest drainer of them all and should be stopped.

[Samantha_17]

"By that definition trade is imperialism?"

USA is not doing trade. It is invading them by supporting the corrupt regimes in those countries to drain their resources. It is generating enormous wealth with that system.

[ForbesMagazine]

You misunderstood what I said, I was point out that that logic doesn't hold for every instance. The importation of resources from other countries is technically using other countries' resources to generate wealth for its population.

Also, the U. S didn't invade Iraq over oil. They invaded Iraq because they genuinely thought there were weapons of mass destruction. The Bush administration was duped by a double agent working for the Iranians who wanted the hostile Saddam regime taken out.
www.theguardian.com/world/2004/may/25/usa.iraq10

[name_is_eric]

Well that's obvious. How else do you think they have the world's most advances military?

[Samantha_17]

Exactly.

[Steffy33]

I didn't know it but it's actually really smart / clever to do it like that

[DollySummers]

Well the fancy term is free trade. But yeah I knew.

[John_Doesnt]

America is an evil country only because of it's politicians. And it's retard gay-voters

[GlowCat_20]

Yeah. To me, imperialism doesn't seem good. I think it would change things, if we had/used our own resources from our own country.

Just my opinion.

[bangyourhead]

Um, Einstein. It’s called free trade. We pay money for those resources. That money goes to pay the workers who would be otherwise shitting on dirt floors in their huts and eating grass.

[Samantha_17]

USA never does free trade, Einstein !!

It has the most powerful military in the world. You know the reason why?

[bangyourhead]

Lol. Yeah, we have the most powerful military in the world because we’re responsible for protecting most of it.

US buying stuff is the only reason these shitholes even have an economy.

[supercutebutt]

The thing is, you'd be living in a shithole had you not been born here. You just got lucky.

[bangyourhead]

@supercutebutt yup. But lucky for you I support free markets and free trade to help pull these countries out of poverty.

[supercutebutt]

Lucky for me? I am the one who supports free trade. You are a protectionist who favors tariffs.

[bangyourhead]

@supercutebutt where did you get such nonsense? By pulling it out of your cute little butt? Cause I’ve never said that.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to international politics... we all manipulate weaker countries to our owns benifit. Its all a big shit show...

[Anonymous]

Of course I knew, they taught us at school, but you don't have to be genius to figure it out anyway.

[Anonymous]

Yes. it follows the tradition of the Greek, Roman, and British empires. we just have more convenient technology, and can get things faster

[sunday123]

Yes I know you are smart and intelligent

[sunday123]

Let's have a chat

[Straight_Shooter]

That's called globalism and global trade.

[sunday123]

Globalization

[Samantha_17]

Globalism means imperialism :)

[sunday123]

Ok I agree again you win maam

[Thatsamazing]

Yes.