Is the U.S. an “Empire?” No.

ZeroHedge reports Henry Kissinger’s warning about the U.S. not adapting to the world’s new order. Most look to the retraction, or soft collapse of the British Empire as what will happen to the U.S.

They’re wrong. The UK was an empire. The US has NEVER been an empire, it’s a brand, and brands can collapse virtually overnight. When an empire is created, annexed cultures are expected to adapt themselves to the culture of the center of the empire. The unofficial motto of the people on the ground expanding the British Empire was “Make the world Britain.” Pakistan was part of the British Empire until 1956. To this day, their military has tartan kilt-wearing bagpipe bands. In fact, they have a bagpipe band that’s mounted on camels. 

The US is a product, a brand, that we sell to the world. We don’t give a crap if they live like Americans do, drink the same coffee we drink, have their soldiers march and salute like ours do, we just want them to buy our stuff.

Britain’s Empire collapsed like a tree dies. First the leaves and branches farther from the trunk wither and fall away, and eventually, after a long time, the trunk either recovers and sends branches out again, or it dies, too. 

Polaroid is a brand that died quickly when technology changed and it no longer offered products that were relevant.

The U.S. is a BRAND, not an EMPIRE. Essentially, that’s what Kissinger is saying, as much as I hate agreeing with the ancient war criminal. He’s doing his best to stay alive as long as possible, because he’s got a lot of people he sent to hell waiting for him to arrive.

Think Al Stewart’s “Joe the Georgian.”