Is there really an American Empire?

The American Empire?

According to many people, the answer is yes…the American Empire is a very real thing. After all, the U.S. has somewhere between 700 to 1,000 military bases in dozens of countries around the world. About 500,000 troops are estimated to occupy these bases. Of course, those numbers are just estimates. Exact figures on the “American Empire” are impossible to determine.

“Whether the most accurate total is 900 bases, 1,000 bases or 1,100 posts in foreign lands, what’s undeniable is that the US military maintains, in Johnson’s famous phrase, an empire of bases so large and shadowy that no one – not even at the Pentagon – really knows its full size and scope.” ~ Nick Turse

For a better look at the American Empire, check out this very interesting graphic from Lew Rockwell (original credit to the National Post). It shows the global extent of the American military. Does it constitute an American Empire? You decide…