AMERICAN IMPERIALISM
American Imperialism ( or American Empire ) refers to the political, economic, military and cultural influence of the United States. The concept of an American Empire was first popularized in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898.
The sources and proponents of this concept range from classical Marxist theorists of imperialism as a product of capitalism, to modern liberal theorists opposed to what they take to be aggressive U.S. policy, to neoconservatives who believe the U.S. must embrace an imperial role.
Proponents of the idea that the U.S. is an empire point to the multiplicity of United States military bases abroad as evidence. Presently, the United States operates between 700 - 800 bases in over 36 countries worldwide, staffed by over 255,000 American Servicemen and citizen support contractors. Researchers like Chalmers Johnson argue that America's version of the colony, for better or for worse, is the military base.
Some see another sign of an empire in the Unified Combatant Command, a military group composed of forces from two or more services that has the entire world divided into five areas of military responsibility.
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