Yes, this simplifies history a lot. The US chose to run a different kind of empire, based on international rules/norms/orgs that it more or less controlled, directly or indirectly: the World Bank, IMF, the UN (mostly), but also banking/USD payments and infra, telecom (AT&T and ARPAnet), oil (7 sisters) and the US Navy (and its bases and carriers) are all imperial infrastructure. I am probably forgetting a ton more.
The brilliant part of this is that they don't look like that and that they also need (some/a lot) the consent of the protectorates or allies --but so did previous empires.
The problem is the same: having an empire has responsibilities, not just benefits. And that's what we've forgotten (both in the US and the West in general).
The brilliant part of this is that they don't look like that and that they also need (some/a lot) the consent of the protectorates or allies --but so did previous empires.
The problem is the same: having an empire has responsibilities, not just benefits. And that's what we've forgotten (both in the US and the West in general).