Shattered myths and soft power legacies, amidst a crumbling empire.
Happy birthday, USA!
Trump shines the light on himself as the nation marks 250 years of independence.
YESTERDAY, America turned 250 years old.
Yesterday, America was the world’s single greatest superpower – an apex predator without equal.
Today, the rest of the world is scrambling and jostling for power, amidst the ashes of the American empire.
It’s easy to imagine anyone writing the words above to be gloating haughtily, delighting in the demise of the Great Satan, full of hate for all things American.
It is certainly not the case for me.
In fact, in recent months, I’ve reflected on how much of an Americophile I am.
As that nation turns 250, it’s also important to note the difference of the things we love about it, and the things we really don’t love about it at all.
I suppose the things we don’t love are, for the most part, not uniquely American.
The evils of American imperialism are essentially the same evils of every empire that came before it.
The corrupting nature of excessive greed in America is essentially the same corruption of excessive greed throughout history.
What is unique is likely much more a function of time and technology than it is geography or culture.
America is a land of a great many contradictions.
It is the wealthiest country in the world, yet wealth inequality there sometimes feels like it is at Third World levels.
It is the land of some of the world’s most advanced medical technology and research, yet has some of the worst healthcare in terms of affordability and access among wealthy nations.
Since World War II, it has probably been the largest donor of international aid to the Third World, and has probably dropped more bombs on the Third World (or anywhere) than any other country.
Like all the major global empires before it – British, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Mongol, Chinese, Roman – American imperial influence saw a phase of vast expansion, and is now staring down the barrel of steep decline.
Nowhere is this more obvious than in the Middle East.
While no one can really keep track of what peace deal is or isn’t in effect from day to day anymore, the latest draft of a predeal deal seemed to offer Iran terms that were as shockingly good for it as they were shockingly bad for America.
In essence, this suggests that the legendary, mythical American war machine was brought to its knees by a nation that had been suffocated and choked by sanctions for nearly five decades.
It is interesting too, to ponder the source of that legendary myth of invincibility, as we watch it being shattered in real time.
I would argue that American influence has been as much about soft power as it has been about hard power.
My generation, and I daresay the generations above and below mine, grew up on a steady diet of American movies, TV shows, music, fashion, and more.
How many movies have we watched where the Americans were the good guys, battling evil Nazis or Soviets.
It feels like one long, unbroken line between Top Gun ,and Top Gun2 – a movie which is a perfect example of this myth and aura that has been built.
Even more lighthearted American culture has found its way into the hearts and minds of billions world wide. (The only comparable country in recent times that has achieved anywhere near such disproportionate cultural influence is South Korea.)
I remember Iranian friends who would tell me that they learned English watching
Friends. I recently met a really lovely person whose mother named her Emma, after Rachel’s baby in that same TV show.
To continue the list of contradictions, it is the land of Kim and Kanye, but also the land of Bob Dylan and Kurt Vonnegut; the land of Talib Kweli, The Eagles, and one of my favourite authors, Lois Mcmaster Bujold.
An American tweet I’ve never forgotten read something like:
The West Wing was our dream of what government could be,
House of Cards is our nightmare of what it’s become.
Indeed, a lot of the heart and soul of what makes America can be found in its literature.
The Wire remains a classic of all the little things that makes up the rot and institutional poverty eating into American cities.
But as seen in shows like
Andor, as long as there is oppression, there is always resistance.
We see this in the latest victories in Democratic primaries – notably three in congressional races in New York, where progressive democratic socialists backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani achieved thumping victories.
In a similar Colorado primary, another progressive, Melat Kiros, 29, beat establishment, pro-israel Democrat Diana Degette, who had been in Congress longer than Kiros had been alive.
This is yet another sign of the global trend where political “extremists” do better than “moderates” – especially when those moderates are still very much under the thumb of Zionist lobbyists.
US President Donald Trump is of course one of the best examples of this trend, which arguably started as far back as the election of George W. Bush in 2000.
This trend arguably explains the defeats of not only Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton, but the defeats of Mitt Romney, John Mccain, and John Kerry as well.
American foreign influence is disintegrating, with Iran being the latest debacle in the vein of Vietnam and Afghanistan.
Perhaps more pertinently, America’s economy is straining under the weight of ever increasing inequality.
I see no reason to gloat, but whether we gloat or not, the ending of American supremacy is all but guaranteed.
The motto of the state of Virginia is Sic Semper Tyrannis – thus always to tyrants. Similarly, all empires eventually fall.
The rest of the world needs to get smart about how we want to adapt to this new reality, and where we want to position ourselves in the unfolding new order.
And what will be next for America?
When I watch shows like the recent Death by Lightning ,and the older movie Lincoln, which was set not far apart in time, I am reminded that there is a great amount of material and history that Americans can draw from in their 250 year history when it comes time to rebuild from their own ashes.
In time, that legacy of honour, principle, tenacity, diligence, and love of freedom, will form the core of American independence from the excesses of the predatory billionaire class, and the corrupting influence of unchecked power (and Zionism).
