The United States might be an empire, but if you think we are like imperial Japan or Nazi Germany, you haven't looked hard enough at the facts. You would not DARE insult either of those countries on the internet if it were the most powerful country in the world. You can do that to the United States and feel perfectly safe. Let that be the starting point that gets the "understand the difference" ball rolling. Also understand that we could own a whole Hell of a lot more of the world than we currently do if we had wanted to. Western Europe was ours after WW2, and what did we do with it? We helped clean it up and gave its nations their sovereignty. What did the Soviets do with Eastern Europe? They ruled it with Communist fascism. What did Nazi Germany do with Western and Eastern Europe? They ruled them with fascism and imposed genocide. Are you starting to see the difference yet? Who leads the world in giving foreign aid? The United States. Did Nazi Germany or imperial Japan ever do that? Japan is in second place and the second richest country in the world now because we rewrote their constitution... instead of making them a state. Have we taken over Canada or Mexico? No.

Why do we consume so much of the world's resources? Because we can afford to. Our economic system is extremely effective.

You are preaching to the Pope when you say the world is not out of its empire building habits. The tendency is exactly what I use to argue that we have to have an extremely powerful military. How much of this thread have you read? I have made your point multiple times.

Your argument is rooted in our success, not our evil.