Confronting the Reality of Empire

For those of us who live in the United States and wish to see liberation in our lifetime, our task is one of the most important in human history. Our job – our mission – must be to end the American empire.

This of course will not be an easy thing to accomplish. But it is vital for all of us to do everything we can to stop this empire.

The United States has more than 600 military bases in at least 80 countries. These bases are used to prevent countries from charting a course that doesn’t conform to American-led capitalism.

In addition, the United States intelligence apparatus runs an unknown number of facilities around the world it uses to run propaganda operations to subvert the decisions made by billions around the world.

The US provides billions of dollars every year and military aid to Israel to assist its apartheid government and occupation and brutality of the Palestinian people.

The United States military has killed more than 1 million people in Iraq since 2003. It has been operating in Afghanistan since 2001 and continues today, with more than 100,000 Afghans killed in that time.

The US military is currently assisting Saudi Arabia’s destruction of Yemen. The United Nations in April estimated 22 million people in that country were in desperate need of aid. If only a portion of those people die, it will be one of the worst genocides in history. It is worth noting this is not a policy that can be laid solely at the feet of fascist Donald Trump. Barack Obama approved the US military’s aid in the Yemeni genocide during his presidency.

The United States has troops operating in Syria and has poured money to extremist groups in that country with the hopes of overthrowing president Bashar al Assad and installing a puppet government. Conservative estimates are that US and its allies have killed more than 3,000 civilians in Syria in the last four years. This does not include the thousands of civilians that have been murdered by anti-government forces funded by the US and its allies.

Since the invasion of Libya by US forces and its allies, tens of thousands of Libyan civilians have been killed and there are reports of slave markets re-opening thanks to the NATO invasion.

Elsewhere on the African continent, there are US bases in 20 countries. In Central and South America, the US military and intelligence apparatus works to undermine democracy in places like Nicaragua and Venezuela. The US works with fascist forces in those countries as well as Colombia and Brazil to prevent the people in those countries from deciding matters on their own.

Every single one of us who live in the United States bears a responsibility to fight imperialism and the imperial mindset.

How? Here are a few suggestions:

• Counter Imperial propaganda when possible. When you hear someone talking about US invasions or promoting them, tell them the facts Ask them why it is important for the US to destroy another country and what benefit it is to anyone.
• If you know someone considering entering the military, encourage them not to do so. Let them know exactly what it is they will be doing: Killing people at the command of the world’s richest people.
• Put up counter-imperial propaganda wherever you can.
• Always remind people that the victims of imperialism are real people who have had their lives destroyed.