THE EXIT STRATEGY OF EMPIRE

In his monograph Rise of Empire, the libertarian journalist Garet Garrett (1878–1954), lays out a blueprint for how Empire could possibly be reversed as well as the reason he believes reversal would not occur.  Garrett was in a unique position to comment insightfully on the American empire because he’d had a front-row seat to events that cemented its status: World War II and the Cold War. World War II America already had a history of conquest and occupation, of course, but, during the mid to late 20th century, the nation became a self-consciously and unapologetic empire with a self-granted mandate to spread its ideology around the world.

A path to reversing Empire

Garrett identifies the first five components of Empire:

• the dominance of executive power: the White House reigns over Congress and the judiciary.
• the subordination of domestic concerns to foreign policy: civil and economic liberties give way to military needs.
• the rise of a military mentality: aggressive patriotism and obedience are exalted.
• a system of satellite nations in the name of collective security;
• and a zeitgeist of both zealous patriotism and fear: bellicosity is mixed with and sustained by panic.

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