Sandar: A Tale of Two Empires

I liked Sandars analogy of the British Empire to explain the expansion of United States military bases around the world. He rightly utilizes the history of the Second World War to explain how and why the US was able to occupy so much land in such a short amount of time. He states that “the British Empire took some two hundred years to reach its peak, the global security system of the United States a mere ten years.”(6) He also cited the famous quote that the British Empire was acquired “in a fit of absence of mind”. While he argues that this is not true for the US due to the way in which US officials during the 1940s planned for bases to be constructed but they were attempting to help the United States become secure. Britain was likewise attempting to consolidate her security when John Seeley’s coin the phase. There are striking similarities between the British Empire a hundred years ago and the global network the US has established today. By examining the progression of US bases around the world by paralleling it with the history of the British Empire we can learn from their lessons.

While it is clear that Sandar is focusing of the military aspect of the United States’ power, it is important to understand that this power is not based on sole military strength but also economic power. Some of his arguments seem empty by the fact he does not address the power of the American economy over the world as well as military. In terms of the military he does chart the rise of foreign military bases well