In any era, different protagonists play the same game of world domination on a similar board. Like a game of Risk, nations compete to become the foremost leaders of their time. They amass great wealth, powerful armies, and political sway. When the influence and might of these countries transcend the confines of their boundaries, so that they become a presence throughout the world, they become empires. At times, one of these empires wins the game, becoming the undisputed superpower in the world. Today, there is one such nation that has outlived all of its rivals in the great game: the United States of America. I concur with Ivan Eland's article "The Empire Strikes Out," which clearly states the dangers of America becoming an "empirical hegemon.".
America, as a nation is currently practicing "good imperialism;" trying to make the world a better place to live in. We send money to foreign countries while our national debt increases, we station military troops in more locations throughout the world than in our own country, and we fight for world peace while peace within our nation dwindles. This vast empire of political power, economic and military supremacy, exerts its influence over much of the world. America is more than the sum of its territories; it's the sun around which the other powers revolve. Regardless of geographic location or technological development, American culture, economics and politics are concerns for the entire globe. In this age of instant communication and information, what preoccupies America, to some extent preoccupies the world. However, we as a nation need to be cautious as we step closer into the realm of hegemony: one nation having total control over the masses. .
In this game of hegemony, Eland states that the strategy of our stability "holds that a massive imbalance of power makes for the most stable international system because no one will be willing or able to challenge the dominant power" (Eland, 5) America has become synonymous with the 20th century, we live in the American Century, in a state of "American Peace".
