America has employed various means to realise its imperialist agenda, while at the same time spuriously promoting itself as the beacon of democracy and a champion of human rights.
Thus, it arrogates unto itself the pretence of policing the planet to ensure the observance of democratic principles and human rights.
America has promoted this image of ostentatiously standing on the moral high ground of ethical principles and integrity to serve humanity and to ensure peaceful co-existence through its military, economic, and financial might, which enables it to control all forms of print, mainstream, electronic, social, and entertainment media; and international organisations such as the United Nations, World Bank, World Health Organisation, International Court of Justice; and through numerous multi-national corporations, ranging from the oil and gas industry, financial institutions, to the rating agencies.
As an integral part of its imperial design, it has manoeuvred and established the American dollar as the international currency for all trading, and most other economic activities, especially in oil and gas transactions.
This was effected through an agreement between Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal and US president Richard Nixon, to convince the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to trade oil in US dollars, the proceeds of which would be channelled into US banks, or the Federal Reserve.
Woe betides those who try to change or bypass the use of the dollar and to trade in other currencies. The US countered this by using various measures. If all these measures proved to be unsuccessful, the United States would undertake covert and overt military operations to bring about regime change.
Libyan strongman Muammar Ghaddafi was overthrown and later killed for, among others, wanting to set up an African central bank with its own gold-backed currency.
Likewise, Saddam Hussain’s country of Iraq was invaded and ravaged, under the false pretext of having weapons of mass destruction.
Pakistan’s Imran Khan, who was deposed by a coup (vote of no confidence), claimed it was engineered by the Americans, when he reached agreements with China and Russia to trade in yuan and rubles, respectively. Pakistan’s National Security Council, however, denied Khan’s accusations.
The United States has been merciless on countries that wanted to unshackle their economies from the almighty dollar.
To further enforce compliance to its imperial agenda, America arrogates unto itself the role of the global arbiter of human rights, periodically listing countries based on their ‘abuse’ of human rights, which include forced labour and human trafficking.
What is beyond reckoning is that America itself violates the human rights of defenceless people, like the Palestinians, by condoning the atrocities perpetrated by Israel.
In fact, America has not only abused the human rights of citizens of those countries that it invaded, but has killed hundreds of thousands of them in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Syria and Yemen. And it is in a perpetual confrontation with Iran and North Korea, which it regards as rogue nations, simply because they do not subscribe to the American agenda.
Despite causing mayhem and killings, America is still regarded as the bastion of democracy and the champion of human rights, thanks to its propaganda machine spearheaded by its pliant and biased media, as well as other modes of information dissemination.
It dictates the geopolitical relations using its military and financial supremacy, cajoling and intimidating those countries that take up neutral stands. It rewards countries that toe its hegemonic agenda with preferred status.
Currently, its three-pronged strategy to further its hegemonic agenda is to undermine Russian power and influence in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, by expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) alliance and sphere of influence.
It provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine by pushing NATO’s borders to the doorsteps of the Russian Federation. Besides this, it had already established military and intelligence bases all over the NATO countries and was planning new ones in Ukraine when it joins the alliance. And of course, Britain is its main ally, serving its hegemonic agenda.
The second strategy is to control the Middle Eastern countries through its proxy, Israel, which has inflicted untold suffering on the Palestine people, with the collusion of the US and Great Britain.
It has, to a certain extent, succeeded in achieving this objective when several Gulf countries established diplomatic relations with Israel.
The US is now in the process of subduing Yemen and Syria, while Egypt and Jordan collude in its grand design. Only Iran and Afghanistan are the two states that have resisted its various military and economic efforts at subverting them.
In fact, the US suffered a great defeat in Afghanistan, the graveyard of imperial designs. Further south, it successfully effected regime change in Pakistan when, in collaboration with pro-US elements there, ousted president Imran Khan. Turkey, a NATO member, is not easily cowed for it has its own mind and does not play lackey to any superpower.
The US’ third strategy in its imperial design is to counter China’s rising economic and military prominence, that challenges the status quo established by the US. Even before the rise of China, the United States had established its presence in Asia, especially in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, initially to counter a defiant North Korea.
The US used to have huge military bases in the Philippines but has since disbanded them because of the people’s opposition. It nevertheless maintains a token presence. Within Southeast Asia, Singapore has provided military facilities and other such logistical support to the US, giving it and its allies a tactical and strategic presence in this region.
To further strengthen its presence, the US has engineered a trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to counter China’s emerging dominance.
But the current Russia-Ukraine war, which is actually a proxy war between the US and its allies against Russia, acts as a counter force to US imperial designs, and perhaps marks the emergence of a new world order with the collaboration of Russia, China, and certain Middle Eastern countries.
The US has, for so long, dictated the rules of geopolitical engagements, favouring its imperialist agenda.
Perhaps, it is opportune and timely for the emergence of a counter force to realign the lopsided influence of the US and her allies.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
