The Empire Business
Imagine this: the United States, under the influence of a small clique of empire-minded strategists, starts a war on very little pretext against a dramatically inferior military opponent. As a result, it finds itself in charge of a hot foreign country, teeming with fanatics of various stripes with a long tradition of mutual hostility, for centuries under the sway of a backward and repressive religion. Within a generation, American administration instills basic cultural values and a democratic political culture, and when the country becomes fully independent, it finds the strength to resist foreign invasion, produce responsible political leadership, and rid itself of a corrupt tyrant through non-violent protest and re-install a constitutional government.
Strange as it seems, there’s actually historical precedent for this: the Philippines. Sure, the circumstances are different, and the Philippines remains an underachiever economically, but it has one of the most vibrant and free political cultures in Asia (along with one of the world’s highest literacy rates). By any measure, the impact of 45 years of US rule there during the first half of the 20th century must be seen as a net positive, and the Filipinos remain close, generally supportive allies.
Contrast this with another possession acquired in the Spanish-American war, Cuba. Here, American corporate interests colluded with weak and corrupt governments at the expense of social and political development. A large number of the Cuban underclass – with no outlet for their desires within the broken administrative system – were drawn to the idealistic vision of Castro and his revolutionaries. They were able to topple the moribund Batista regime like a rotted-out tree-trunk, much to the detriment of long-term American interests (and, arguably, the interests of most Cubans as well).
It was short-sighted American greed and indifference that led to the Castro regime, just as surely as it was prudent and disinterested American administration that created the basis for lasting democratic institutions in the Philippines. Since we find ourselves back in the empire business, we would do well the learn the lessons our limited previous experience affords.
9:12:59 AM 
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