Imperial Overstretch
Analyzing US hegemony and globalization through a 25-year window.
Key theories related to the history of the rise and fall of global powers (i.e. imperial overstretch, hegemonic stability theory, and long cycle theory) come to mind as to how the US as a global power has evolved since the 19th century.
However, let’s consider the period from 1990 to 2015 (25 years), and how changes in the dynamics of globalization over this period impacted the relative power of the US and its impact on global order.
The changes in the dynamics of globalization between 1990 to 2015 have substantially impacted power in the global order, particularly in the realm of technological, political, and economic dimensions. While social and environmental dimensions factor into the propulsion, it can be argued that the three latter key elements are driving accelerated changes.
In this graphic are a few examples of what has appeared in each dimension.
The social aspects of the Post-Cold War era in terms of liberal institutions (e.g. UNHCR) have increasing faced anti-globalist backlash thanks to technological innovations via social media.
As a result of multinational corporations (MNCs) benefitting from exploiting labor in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and resources in the rest of the Global South to generate profits divorced of fair labor practices, environmental practices have continued to pay the price despite global collaboration.
Notwithstanding, the obvious effects of climate change seen in devastating hurricanes and super typhoons, wildfires, and a general uptick in environmental disasters, technological dissemination of this information has done little to impact tangible shifts.
Our world in this recent era has become increasingly economically interdependent – thanks to technology both connecting us and manipulating human behavior. The technological dimension involving internet usage and accessibility is complicit. From fiber-optic cables to increases in internet access, the demand for information – true or false – has transformed drastically from the 1991 USSR collapse to 2001, where the US launched the Global War on Terror (GWOT) in the Middle East (CENTCOM).
Its other operations in Africa (AFRICOM) and the Indo-Pacific (INDOPACOM) have all three driving elements at the expense of social and environmental dimensions. Additionally, South America (SOUTHCOM) operations have been largely maintained to thwart leftist, Indigenous governments in favor of right-wing, Eurocentric dictators.
Bolivia and its recent coup, paving the way for lithium exploitation, is just one recent example of political destabilization that was sanctioned via MNC economic drive and modern technology.
In terms of long-cycle theory, one could argue that the US era is still in its long cycle as its military is currently being imperially overstretched to fight increasingly expensive and unsubstantiated wars. The current feeding into fattened defense contractor desires enabled by Washington DC lobbyists and political corruption - thanks to Citizens United – have paved the way for corporate control of an alleged democratic election process. Today, another thanks to Citizens United, it is anything but democratic.
The United States’ defense and political commitments have allowed for tax dollars to be allocated for defense when its healthcare, education, humanities, and national infrastructure are crumbling at an alarming rate - which serves as convenient fuel for populist backlash.
Such trends in far-right populism is nothing new in the EU (e.g. Nazism, Fascism) or WWII ambitions of Imperial Japan, but it is certainly gaining anti-globalist traction. As a result, we’re seeing a heightened insurrection based on patriarchal authoritarianism that scoffs at human rights, liberal institutions, and global cooperation.
Anti-Fascism is for everyone.
We can also see this march toward far-right nationalism today in Turkey, Russia, the Philippines, Australia – to name a few. Such movements have allowed for the scapegoating of marginalized groups and immigrants to fuel politicized xenophobia, geopolitical instability, income inequality, and an economically uncertain future as disinformation spreads – thanks to the proliferation of modern technology.
While social and environmental dimensions factor into the propulsion of change in the Post-Cold War era, it can be argued that three key elements are driving accelerated changes.
Political governance backed by unfettered economic ambition and enabled by technological disinformation has, without question, resulted in social and environmental fallout that we’ve seen 2015.
