The failure of empire

Throughout history, only a select number of nations have had the overarching power militarily and economically on such a scale to be considered a global empire. The Roman Empire comes to mind, as does the more recent British Empire. Economic and social dominance is perhaps more important than military might for an enduring empire. Though, the classical Greeks under Alexander and the Mongols under Genghis Khan conquered vast territory and had a lasting legacy in history, did not form a “stable” empire beyond their creators or their immediate descendents.

The United States of America, the one “superpower” left in the modern world is arguably the current global empire. Its political will shapes the landscape of world affairs. Its military might (on almost any metric) dwarfs its closest rivals. Cultural dominance is pervasive internationally. Economically, it is the single largest market in the world. The United States (rightly or wrongly) is unashamed as the global policeman. Its foreign policy goal of attaining American hegemony is accepted (begrudgingly) as a political norm.

It is then perhaps interesting to highlight certain inconsistencies in the American empire. Many Americans that I have met are comfortable, if not smug in the belief that they live in the “best” nation of the world. Indeed, many are shocked that non-Americans do not think so. This “incomprehensible” blow is manifest throughout American news media. It is represented by denouncements of “anti-Americanism” in Europe (a good example by CNN).

This may all be true if the United States really is the “best” nation on Earth. It is established that the political, military, economic and culture dominance of the United States is real in the international sphere. What cost has this had on America itself? Interestingly, the United States fails in virtually all domestic metrics.

Education

• The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).
• The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
• 20% of Americans think the sun orbits the earth and 17% believe the earth revolves around the sun once a day (The Week, Jan. 7, 2005). That is, about 2 in 5 don’t know primary school level science.
• The International Adult Literacy Survey found that Americans with less than nine years of education ‘score worse than virtually all of the other countries’ (The European Dream: How Europe’s Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream, p.78 by Jeremy Rifkin).
• The European Union leads the U.S. in the number of science and engineering graduates, public research and development (R&D) expenditures, and new capital raised.
• Europe surpassed the United States in the mid-1990s as the largest producer of scientific literature.
  

Health

• The World Health Organization “ranked the countries of the world in terms of overall health performance” and the U.S. 37th. In the “fairness of health care”, the U.S. was 54th.
• The United States spends more per capita for health care than any other nation in the world.
• The U.S. and South Africa are the only two developed countries in the world that do not provide health care for all their citizens.
• Lack of health insurance coverage causes 18,000 unnecessary American deaths a year (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
• U.S. childhood poverty ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations.
• The United States is 41st in the world in infant mortality. Cuba scores higher (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
• Women are 70% more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
  

Industry

• Sixty-one of the 140 biggest companies on the Global Fortune 500 rankings are European, while only 50 are U.S. companies.
• Fourteen of the 20 largest commercial banks in the world today are European.
• In engineering and construction, three of the top five companies are European. The two others are Japanese. Not a single American engineering and construction company is included among the world’s top nine competitors.
• In food and consumer products, Nestlé and Unilever, two European giants, rank first and second, respectively, in the world.
• In the food and drugstore retail trade, two European companies are first and second.
  

Trade

• Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea hold 40% of U.S. government debt.
• Sometime in the next 10 years Brazil will probably pass the U.S. as the world’s largest agricultural producer.
• As of June 2005, the U.S. imported more food than it exported (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
  

Domestic politics

• Voter participation rate around 50%, one of the lowest rates in the developed world. Western Europe average is 77%.

The pursuit of the American “empire” has failed ordinary Americans in terms of domestic development and progress. One would rightly assume that American dominance in the world stage would push domestic measures to world best (if not near best). Nevertheless, this is clearly not the case and domestic American ignorance to the contrary is a well cultured delusion by the U.S. Administration and compliant domestic news media.

Source article:
Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages: America by the numbers – No. 1?