Imperialism— You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Vizzini: HE DIDN’T FALL? INCONCEIVABLE. 

Inigo Montoya: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

I hear people describing America’s involvement in different conflicts from 1965 on as “American imperialism”.

That’s not imperialism.

Imperialism is defined as: 

“the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.”

This was a policy in America- under Teddy Roosevelt. The US tried to make the Philippines a territory/colony of the US. (Before WWII the plan had been to get the Philippines independent, but then the Japanese Imperial army invaded the Philippines. The ill-equipped American military tried to defend it with Filipino help, but failed. The Americans got the Philippines back during a long fight. After WWII the Philippines gained independence. )

In Vietnam, the objective was to strengthen the South Vietnamese military to fight takeover by the Communist North Vietnamese army and keep the existing democratic government in place.

During the Gulf War, Saddam Hussein ordered an invasion of Kuwait. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations appealed to the United Nations for help in getting Iraq out of Kuwait. When Saddam Hussein refused to leave Kuwait by the UN deadline, international forces led by the US intervened to force Iraq out.

In Somalia, the objective was to capture trade routes so that UN food shipments would actually reach the people of Somalia instead of being hijacked by Aidid’s forces to force support or punish dissenters. The UN orders stressed restoring law and order and helping the Somali people set up a democratic government of their own. 

In Afghanistan, the objective was to work with anti-Taliban allies in the Middle Easy to oust the Taliban (which had attacked the US) and help the Aghanis install their own democratic government and train the Afghan army and police to combat insurgents on their own.

In Iraq, the objective was to catch Saddam Hussein, try him for war crimes and execute him if found guilty, then help the Iraqis establish a democratic government and to train their police and military to defend themselves against insurgents.

Why don’t these countries just fend for themselves? They’re impoverished. They don’t have the resources that US does to train and arm their police and military like the US does. We are fortunate to live in a nation that is so abundant.

None of these examples fit the definition of imperialism.

So why does this fashionable use of “American imperialism” persist?

Because it allows for a very comforting illusion: 

That the US government and military is the main source of evil in the world. Since protests and votes have the potential to influence the use of the US military forces, the concept of “American imperialism” supports the belief that evil can be contained and doesn’t truly exist on a massive scale in the world. If left to themselves, people will treat each other kindly is the wish that the myth of “American imperialism” is built on. Ironically, people who are upset about “American imperialism” typically claim that they care about human rights, yet they ignore murder, rape and torture and that takes place when the US fails to intervene. We have seen that a lack of US intervention as nations invaded other nations led to World War II and to civil conflicts like the Bosnian War, the Rawndan genocide, and the rise of ISIS.

Truthfully, the people who say they are against “American imperialism” fit the definition of isolationists.