Egypt, Greece, China and Britain are just a few of the nations that played regional or international stabilization roles. The general expression is referred to as Pax Imperia.
Peace and freedom are not mutually inclusive terms, so historically a Pax Imperia does not imply freedoms as we define them today. Rather, it refers to periods of minimal interregional warfare, usually accompanied by extensive trade and economic growth.
The shift to Pax Americana from Pax Britannica started as early as America’s attack on the Barbary Coast in 1801 and the issuance of Monroe Doctrine in 1823. This shift accelerated throughout the 19th century. One of the first international benefits of the fledgling Pax Americana was the Panama Canal, the global benefits of which are incalculable.
Myopic visionaries concentrate on Pax Imperia abuses and are guilty of “presentism”; that is, forcing modern conventions on past societies. Presentism ignores the fact that evolution in human rights required advances in social thought much like evolution in medicine required advances in science.
Within this context, Pax Americana has been so successful as a force for global good that our language has become the new lingua franca and our science, technology, arts, philosophy and culture dominate everywhere. In every pragmatic sense, as opposed to some nonexistent theoretical utopian standard, American Exceptionalism is real. The proof is at our borders.
And that brings us to the isolationists, especially on the Left. Progressives ignore historical context and apply presentism to sell America as a destabilizing force and a threat to human rights. The Left defines America by its original sins, which were not uniquely American, and not by its later redemption as a force for global good, which is uniquely American. To the Left, there is no Pax Americana, only a Pox Americana. This is why one of the first acts of President Obama was his world-wide apology tour.
Without Pax Americana, there would be economic repercussions domestically and instabilities globally. Under an American-guided peace, economic and social rewards have been made more available globally to mankind than anytime in history. However, President Obama’s vision of Pox Americana has weakened Pax Americana and American Exceptionalism, and created a weaker economy, more powerful terrorists groups, and greater volatility in a number of other regions.
Universal harmony may be in our destiny, but for the foreseeable future the world still needs a stabilizing force. If isolationists have their way, what will take the place of Pax Americana? I’m afraid to guess.
About the Author