| Photo by Alejandro Barba on Unsplash
Part XIV of the “United States-Philippines Relations and Geopolitics” Series
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) said on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, that 2024 would be the last election “decided by ballots rather than bullets” if former President Trump doesn’t win the presidential race because of his various legal battles. Did Mr. Huckabee imply the coming of a 21st-century civil war — as early as November 2024 after his political party lost badly again, the presidential and other down-the-ballot congressional and local elections?
To many students of geopolitics, the biggest (and only viable) threat that the so-called “America’s Empire” faces is from within the United States. The threat is apparently made by White Supremacists, racists like Neo-Nazis and Aryan militants — as allegedly encouraged by at least half of the Republican Party faithful. Yes, especially the cult-like supporters of Donald J. Trump and his cabal of lawyers and advisers that continue to claim that the GOP was cheated in the 2020 presidential and local elections.
Very few members of the American Fourth Estate think that an incumbent American president could be cheated. (The exception is a group of several Fox News anchors, some of whom were dismissed by the network’s owner for lying to viewers about the 2020 election results.) This is also true in many countries, mainly in the Third World, where incumbent presidents routinely cheat in elections. The political opposition in countries ruled by despots and dictators had not been accused of electoral fraud. Why? Because incumbent president-dictators have control of all government agencies, including the local version of the Committee on Elections. And often, the despots and their families treat the country’s Central Bank as their own “piggy bank.” In short, the political opposition lacks the human and financial resources to undertake massive electoral fraud and deceit.
The New York Times came out last Monday, Labor Day, with an essay by guest writer Jim Rapley. He wrote that the “American Empire is in a decline; (but) that does not mean it has to fall.”
The last two paragraphs of Mr. Rapley’s article complement the stand of this columnist that the decline of “America’s empire” (sic) is premature and exaggerated. Mr. Rapley and this columnist may be right that all American policy and decision makers must do is to “reinvent” what is perceived (debatable at that) as the “millennium of American leadership in the Free World” — as this column prefers to use instead of an “American Empire.”
Mr. Rapley says at the end of his obra maestra piece: “If the United States must confront China, whether militarily or — one hopes — just diplomatically, it will inherit significant advantages from its imperial legacy. The country still has sources of power that nobody can seriously rival: a currency that faces no serious threat as the world’s medium of exchange, the deep pools of capital managed on Wall Street, the world’s most powerful military, the soft power wielded by its universities and the vast appeal of its culture. And America can still call upon its friends across the globe. It should be able to marshal its abundant resources to remain the world’s leading power.
“To do so, though, America will need to give up trying to restore its past glory through a do-it-alone, America-First approach. It was the same impulse that pushed the Roman Empire into the military adventurism that brought about its eventual destruction. The world economy has changed, and the United States will never again be able to dominate the planet as it once did. But the possibility of building a new world out of a coalition of the like-minded is a luxury Rome never had. America, whatever it calls itself, should seize the opportunity.”
“According to RealClearPolitics, declarations of America’s declining power have been common since the start of the country. Wikipedia also reported that Australian journalist Nick Bryant wrote, “Warnings of American decline are by no means new.” He says that in the 20th century, American “declinism” came in several distinct waves.”
According to RealClearPolitics, declarations of America’s declining power have been common since the start of the country. Wikipedia also reported that Australian journalist Nick Bryant wrote, “Warnings of American decline are by no means new.” He says that in the 20th century, American “declinism” came in several distinct waves.
Readers are also urged to visit — with their thinking caps on — the websites of Wilson Center, American Magazine, Wikipedia, the New York Times, and other mainstream publications. They can learn more about the much-debated concept of an “American Empire.”
On the other hand, this column has discussed geopolitical concepts of a Filipino-American Interdependence Day (to be held every July 4), the formation of all Filipino-American U.S. Army and Marine regiments or, better yet, divisions (similar to what was done in 1942-1946 during World War II) and the organization of an “American-led Commonwealth of Countries.”
Other suggestions (like the revival of American bases in the Philippines) are serious proposals of how the United States can “reinvent” its role as the number-one superpower and biggest economy in the world (in pursuit of continuing proactively its leadership of the Free World). The links to the articles can easily be obtained by just typing the keywords in the Search Box of www.philippinedailymirror.com.
Included in this online Discussion Board is the proposal to President Biden — as a component of a suggested “Biden Back-to-Basics Doctrine” — to emulate President William McKinley and do again a “Medical Center” that was set up in Manila (Philippines) in the early 1900s.
This column continues to urge The White House to initiate the construction of 50 state-of-the-art medical centers in strategic locations worldwide. It is the only way for mankind to prepare for up-and-coming pandemics and epidemics. Funding can be quickly done by converting the United States’ current military and economic aid into investments in the said medical centers and peace-keeping initiatives. And persuading the country hosting one of the 50 medical centers to organize public-private partnerships to own and manage them — with the help of foreign equity and their medical and research experts.
