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Real History

Are There Empires Today?

Ages 12–16 25 min read Advanced

The age of formal empires is over. No country officially calls itself an empire anymore. But does the pattern still exist? If an empire is defined by military power, resource extraction, cultural dominance, and a justification narrative — are there empires operating today under different names?

Applying the Playbook Today

The United States

The US has 750+ military bases in over 80 countries (Vine, 2020). The US dollar is the world's reserve currency. American culture (movies, music, fast food, tech) dominates globally. The justification: "spreading democracy and freedom."

Is that an empire? Many scholars say yes — an informal empire built on economic power and military presence rather than formal colonial governance.

China

China's Belt and Road Initiative has invested over $1 trillion in infrastructure across Asia, Africa, and South America. Critics call it "debt-trap diplomacy" — lending money for projects that countries can't repay, then gaining control of strategic assets.

China's cultural influence is growing through Confucius Institutes, media investment, and economic relationships. The justification: "mutual development and cooperation."

Multinational Corporations

Companies like Apple, Google, Amazon, and BHP operate across dozens of countries. They extract resources (data, minerals, labour), impose their culture (everyone uses the same apps), and their revenues exceed many nations' GDPs. Amazon's annual revenue is larger than the GDP of most countries on Earth.

Are corporations the empires of the 21st century?

Where Australia Fits

Australia is a product of the British Empire. Today, it sits firmly in the American sphere of influence — the AUKUS alliance (2021), Pine Gap intelligence facility, and close military cooperation demonstrate this.

Australia is also a significant resource exporter to China, creating a complex dependency. This tension — military alliance with America, economic dependence on China — defines much of Australian foreign policy.

What This Means For You

Understanding the empire playbook helps you see through the language of power: "national security," "free trade," "development assistance." These phrases may be genuine — or they may be the 21st century's version of "civilising mission."

Tonight's Question

"If empires don't call themselves empires anymore, how would you know if you were living inside one?"

Consider: military bases abroad, economic dominance, cultural influence, a justification narrative...

Modern Empire Scorecard

  1. Create a scorecard with the five empire characteristics.
  2. Rate three countries/entities: USA, China, and a major corporation (your choice).
  3. For each characteristic, score 0-5: How strongly does each entity display this trait?
  4. Add up the scores. Who "scores" highest on the empire scale?
  5. Discuss: is this framework fair? What does it miss?

Go Further

  • Book: Base Nation by David Vine (2015) — maps America's global military presence.
  • Research: China's Belt and Road Initiative — find the interactive map of projects.
  • Question: Can a democracy be an empire? Is there a contradiction?
  • Australian: Research AUKUS. What does it commit Australia to? Who benefits?

What We Simplified

  • Comparing modern states to historical empires is imperfect. There are important differences: democratic accountability, international law, and human rights frameworks didn't exist in earlier empires.
  • American and Chinese influence also brings benefits. Investment, technology transfer, and market access are real. The relationship isn't purely extractive.
  • Corporate power is constrained by regulation. Governments can and do regulate corporations, though enforcement varies.

Sources

  • Vine, D. (2020). The United States of War: A Global History of America's Endless Conflicts. University of California Press.
  • Hillman, J.E. (2021). The Emperor's New Road: China and the Project of the Century. Yale University Press.
  • Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. Profile Books.
  • Australian Government. "AUKUS." Department of Defence. Defence

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