Is There Anything Left To Conquer?

Last night me and J were talking about how the US might have been carrying on Great Britain's imperial pursuits ever since the whole tea party thing. Then we discussed The Roman Empire, and how it grew so large that no one had any idea what was on the fringes. Some locations under Rome's thumb didn't even have governors present.

Empires have always been glorified, presumably because they control popular culture; or rather consume it. We decided that it made for very interesting history, and that maybe one day the current state of the US could be analyzed in the same way. It all seems so horrid and impersonal now. We humans tend to glorify the past though, so future generations may view our actions as noble -in a science fiction sort of way. Though I doubt it now.

The only difference in warfare through the ages has to be our ever-expanding reach. Instead of meeting on a field with hundreds of troops and horses, we can spy on every corner of the Earth from space, or fly a drone over "enemy combatants". It has given way to a form of guilt-free murder; if there is such a thing. I wonder why we still need such a massive presence on the ground, and if those days might be numbered. It would certainly be more affordable without the pesky humans that require food and shelter.

Of course America's military exploits are only to spread democracy (mob rule?) and not to rob other countries of their mineral wealth. We are the light of the world, and no light would ever kill for oil, or gold, or aluminum, or diamonds, or manganese, or pineapples, or coffee, or cocaine, or poppies. No, the US would never do that openly; there has to be another reason. Stabilization. National Security. Human rights. Bollocks.

Since the US is controlling over 191 foreign governments (all UN members), have a military presence in ~135 (varies by source) countries, and control somewhere between 700 and 800 foreign military bases worldwide (again sources vary and the DOD doesn't seem to know either.), one has to wonder when their jobs will be secure, and their mission complete. It seems like the Pentagon being the largest landowner on Earth would be sufficient to carry out whatever goals they are trying to accomplish. How many of the 30 million acres they own were purchased? A list of occupied countries can be found HERE. It is astounding. The financial figures are all over the map because they lie, so I am leaving that out. Who really knows what 2 trillion dollars is anyway?

This military machine, and their dream, our nightmare of total world dominance seems to be coming true. They are shrinking the globe to meet theirs and corporate ends. My concern is that if they can marginalize any foreign government they choose, how do we as citizens of Earth factor in to the equation? Is there really any group or organization left to put them in check? Does anyone care to? It is unlikely when one group has near absolute control of every vital resource on the planet.

So, what happens when they run out of conquests? What happens when there is no opposition to destroy, and nothing to protect? What does a global, militarized police-state look like? 

The photo below is a foreshadow of what is to come.
Sources:

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