Modern-day U.S. imperialism is done covertly
Many do not grasp how modern day imperialism is done.
New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez on Twitter claimed her preferred option to intervention in Afghanistan would be a more covert C.I.A and State department operation over a boots-on-the-ground invasion. The tweet was a disappointment but not surprising considering the fact that AOC said she had "questions and concerns" over pardoning Assange, met with far-right Bolivia coup supporters, and said she would “defer to leadership” on the Venezuela coup. The tweet itself is nothing new it is just another example of AOC capitulating to the national security state. What makes this tweet interesting is it shows the thought process of government officials. When something is done covertly there is less opposition to it as people are in the dark as to what is really going on. This is why U.S. imperialism is done mostly through covert actions today. Polls show the American people are anti-war. 78 percent of Democrats, 64.5 percent of Republicans, and 68.8 percent of independents support raining back U.S. militarism abroad. This means the U.S. will face massive opposition from the American people if they continue boots-on-the-ground invasions. This is why they do a lot of military action covertly today. Much of modern-day U.S. imperialism is done in three different ways sanctions, arming, and funding. This way the U.S. empire can continue imperial wars without the opposition of the American people. If the American people knew the information I am about to lay out in this article there would be massive protests in the streets.
Sanctions
Sanctions are sold to the American people as a way to punish leaders economically who violate human rights. They are sold as something that only affects the powerful and has no effect on the population of the countries being sanctioned. This is a blatant lie. The purpose of sanctions is to cause the populations in the targeted country to suffer as much as possible in the hope there will be an uprising against the government. They are used against countries that do not bend to the will of the U.S. empire. Professor Noam Chomsky said of sanctions “When the U.S. imposes devastating sanctions – it’s the only country that can do that, everyone has to follow ... the master. Or else they are kicked out the financial system”. He also very accurately described sanctions as “pure sadism”. The most obvious examples of this sadism are the sanctions on Venezuela, Iran, Cuba, and Syria. A report found that sanctions on Venezuela killed 40,000 people by depriving them of food, medicine, and medical equipment. A UN rapporteur who visited Venezuela said U.S. sanctions on Venezuela could amount to crimes against humanity under international law. The UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights found that the sanctions on Venezuela affected “those in extreme poverty, women, children, medical workers, people with disabilities or life-threatening or chronic diseases, and the indigenous populations.” Independent journalist Kei Pritsker went to Venezuela to investigate the effect of sanctions and found the sanctions were preventing the construction of public housing and stopping schoolchildren access to laptops and tablets. Human rights watch investigated sanctions on Iran and found that sanctions were blocking vital medicine and medical equipment from coming into Iran. The Middle East director of human rights watch was quoted saying “The comprehensive web of US sanctions has led banks and companies to pull back from humanitarian trade with Iran, leaving Iranians who have rare or complicated diseases unable to get the medicine and treatment they require.” A study in the national library of medicine that researched the U.S. embargo on Cuba has unleashed horrors onto the Cuban people including a blindness epidemic, an outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome (a disease that causes the immune system to damage nerves), and an outbreak of lye ingestion in children because of lack of soap. The UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights found sanctions on Syria blocked equipment needed to rebuild the infrastructure destroyed during the 10-year civil war as well as blocking necessary humanitarian aid for Syrians. She stated that these sanctions were blocking Syrian’s right to “housing, health, and an adequate standard of living and development.” US sanctions are an act of war and an act of murder. Yet most Americans have no idea their government is murdering and inflicting suffering on the people of Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, and Syria as well as other countries sanctioned by the United States. This is why the U.S. empire relies so heavily on sanctions. They can torment the population and destroy countries that will not bend to their will without any opposition.
Arming and funding.
Another covert method of war the United States deploys is giving arms to groups or governments that will do their bidding. Many times these arms go to some of the worst human rights violators on the planet as well as ending up in the hands of Al-Qaeda and other Jihadist groups. For example, the U.S. arms Saudi Arabia which in turn arms Islamic extremists in Syria and Al Qaeda fighters in Yemen. Another example of this is when The C.I.A spent billions of dollars arming Jihadist rebels in Syria including Al-Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda affiliate. Again this was done with American tax dollars but without the knowledge of most of the American people. But even more covert is the funding of opposition groups mostly in Latin America. For example the National Endowment for Democracy, a C.I.A cutout funded by the U.S. government which in turns funds far-right pro-U.S. opposition leaders in countries like Venezuela and Bolivia.
Covert Imperialism
The American people are opposed to imperialism. That is why those in power make sure they are in the dark about what the U.S. is actually doing around the globe. This is why they mostly use covert methods to continue endless war and empire. If the American people knew what sanctions did and knew their tax dollars were going towards Jihadists and far-right coup leaders, there would be massive protests out in the streets. Unfortunately, the American media exists to keep people in the dark about these issues by manufacturing content. It is important to understand there will be fewer U.S. interventions in the future and they will be replaced by covert action. The left must keep an eye on these covert actions as they are just as harmful as interventionist wars such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Modern-day U.S. imperialism is done covertly
great post: I would add as a supplement which you could write another article on, is how the IMF & WB are the West's - but primarily the US - main global economic arms
All of the above! There's a lot we could add, but that would require a book. Very insightful. Good work, thanks.