In the past, the United States tended to have an isolationist approach to the world affairs. It has only became involved when drawn in by events. The election of George W Bush brought a significant change in this respect. Previous governments recognised the unprecedented power of the United States, but did not know how to use it. George W Bush has brought to power men who believe that America should use its unique power to shape the world order and control its direction for the next century.
We cannot avoid the responsibilities of global leadership or the costs that are associated with its exercise. America has a vital role in maintaining peach and security in Europe Asia and the Middle East. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge and to meet treats before they become dire. We need to accept responsibility for America's unique role in preserving an extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity and our principles (New American Century Project).
Today, the United States enjoys a position of unparalleled military strength and great economic and political influence. In keeping with our heritage and principles, we do not use our strength to press for unilateral advantage. We seek instead to create a balance of power that favors human freedom: conditions in which all nations and all societies can choose for themselves the rewards and challenges of political and economic liberty. In a world that is safe, people will be able to make their own lives better. We will defend the peace by fighting terrorists and tyrants. We will preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers. We will extend the peace by encouraging free and open societies on every continent.Finally, the United States will use this moment of opportunity to extend the benefits of freedom across the globe. We will actively work to bring the hope of democracy, development, free markets, and free trade to every corner of the world (George W. Bush - National Security Strategy).
No global challenge to the United States is likely to emerge for the foreseeable future. The United States has no rival in any critical dimension of power. There has never been a system of sovereign states that contained one state with this degree of dominance (Stephen Brooks and William Wohlforth, Foreign Affairs).
The American empire was created by the nearly simultaneous fall of the Soviet Union and the Japanese economy. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States became the only power capable of projecting military force globally. With the crash of Japan's economy and the extraordinary expansion of the American economy in the 1990s, the United States also became the dominant global economic power, the primary source of capital and innovation. These two forces combined to gee the United States overwhelming political power and with that came the ability to shape the international as it wished (Strafor).
Meanwhile, the very fact of the Soviet empire's collapse vastly increased America's strength relative to the rest of the world. The sizeable American military arsenal, once barely sufficient to balance Soviet power, was now deployed in a world without a single formidable adversary. This "unipolar moment" had an entirely natural and predictable consequence: It made the United States more willing to use force abroad. With the check of Soviet power removed, the United States was free to intervene practically wherever and whenever it chose. While American politicians talked of pulling back from the world, the reality was an America intervening abroad more frequently than it had throughout most of the Cold War. Thanks to new technologies, the United States was also freer to use force around the world in more limited ways through air and missile strikes, which it did with increasing frequency.The United States is a behemoth with a conscience. It is not Louis XIV's France or George III's England. Americans do not argue, even to themselves, that their actions may be justified by raison d'etat. Americans have never embraced the Machiavellian perspective. The United States is a liberal, progressive society through and through, and to the extent that Americans believe in power, they believe it must be a means of advancing the principles of a liberal civilization and a liberal world order (Robert Kagan - Power and Weakness).
In a fashion and to an extent that is unique in the history of Great Powers, the United States defines its strength - indeed, its very greatness - not in terms of its ability to achieve or maintain dominance over others, but in terms of its ability to work with others in the interests of the international community as a whole. American foreign policy is consciously intended to advance universal values (Strobe Talbott - Deputy Secretary of State).
We can expect to see the United States taking an even more assertive role in the world, than it has done in the past. The wars on Afghanistan and Iraq are the first steps in this new role. L'Express newspaper called this Messianic Imperialism. The United States has become an imperialistic nation, but it does so to save the world from evil.
Christian Encouragement
A disturbing aspect of this American imperialism is the encouragement that is been given by Christians in the United States. Here are few examples.
God bless America, because God is with you. This nation did not become a strong nation, getting on its knees to despots and tyrants, we have defeated them from George Washington to George Bush and as a nation we are going to stand on our feet and defeat the tyrants of the world, and now is the time to do it. God bless George Bush (Pastor John Hagee).
"The Bush Doctrine" of taking pre-emptive action to deprive rogue states and terrorists of WMD will very likely end up saving millions of lives and spare us far more chaos and destruction in the world (Rick Joyner - The War for Peace).
What I have been shown was shocking to me, and that is the United States is going to become an increasingly oppressively nation. We are going to become more unrelenting in imposing our will internationally, and there is going to be an increasing loss of our liberty at home. What surprised me about this is I what was shown that is right.. The lawlessness that is growing throughout the world would result in such chaos and destruction that things would be much worse if the United States does not become more assertive in its leadership. Now there are also major threats to us that in the United States that must be found and dealt with (Rick Joyner -World War III, War in Iraq).
The battle is about bringing down the strongman of Islam and breaking open the Middle East. The spirit of Allah is working to form an Arab coalition to resist in the battle. God will humiliate the spirit over Islam (Ps 83:16) (Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders).
It is a Biblical principle that God uses one nation to execute His judgments upon another nation. America and its allies could become God's instruments to execute specific judgments that God has decreed will take place at some time (Bill Hamon - Prophecy for the Year 2003).
For in these days says the Lord my prophets will wear the attire of a soldier. They will call themselves Marines, Army, Air Force and Navy. I will send them abroad and they shall tread down the adder and the serpent that set itself against them. They will bring my retribution and revival.... Wherever the soles of their feet tread they will possess the land. They will reestablish my borders and boundaries in the land. No longer will the dragon of tyranny reign upon the head of that generation America, I have sent you as evangelists and prophets to the nations. You have donned the uniform of the soldier and are setting a new precedence of the warrior heart (Chad Taylor - My Prophets in Uniform).
I find these statements very disturbing. Christians seems to be encouraging the United States to take up the role of the beast of Daniel.
Christian Nation?
Some people may object that the Christian influence in the United States is too strong to allow this to happen. I believe that we need to reserve judgement on this. The United States is a great enigma; a strange mixture of good and evil.
The United States was established on a foundation of faith and has received tremendous blessing from the Lord. There are more Christians and churches in the United States than any other country. It sends out more missionaries than any other nation in the world. Christians seem to have a strong influence on the government of the nation, with most recent Presidents professing Christian faith. However, despite this strong Christian influence, there are several trends that disturb an objective observer.
The Christian faith of many Americans is very shallow. George Barna has warned of a theological crisis in the American church.
The Christian body in America is immersed in a crisis of biblical illiteracy. How else can you describe matters when most churchgoing adults reject the accuracy of the Bible, reject the existence of Satan, claim that Jesus sinned, see no need to evangelize, believe that good works are one of the keys to persuading God to forgive their sins, and describe their commitment to Christianity as moderate or even less firm?" (http://www.theologicalstudies.org/crisis.html)
While paying lip service to the Lord, the American people seem to have become extremely materialistic. Consumerism is rampant throughout the nation. The American economy is currently being sustained by massive consumer spending funded by increasing debt.
God seems to be losing the battle for the heart of the nation. The United States is the centre from which humanism has been exported into the entire world. The American movie, television and music industries shape the universal culture that is sweeping the world. Together with the universities, these industries have spread the secularism that is rampant in the western world.
Despite their public profession of faith by presidents and congressmen, the government of the United States has bowed to the idol of humanism. The philosophy of humanism now dominates the political, legal and social decision-making processes throughout the United States. Many public institutions are now very hostile to Christianity
Advancing the power and prosperity of American business often seems to be more important than spreading the gospel. In the third world, American companies have often put profits ahead of the welfare of people.
The United States declares that it trusts in God, but it has developed an enormous arsenal of weapons (including nuclear weapons), and it now trusts in them for its security. It has made a god of war, by using its war machine to further its interests throughout the world. America has become the world's policeman, but often in its own interests.
To prevent terrorism, enormous powers have been given to the Authority for Homeland Security. These powers reduce individual freedom severely. Although created with good intention, they can also be used for evil. (This is why the terrible beast follows on from the leopard of terrorism).
Since 9/11, the "End-times Industry" has encouraged American governments to become increasingly dominant in the world. They are the false prophet supporting the American beast.
The United States was built on Christian foundations, but has recently become increasingly secular. The Christian influence is gradually and surreptitiously being squeezed out by numerous decisions of the Supreme Court and the Congress. Christians are fighting back, but I am not certain that they will win. Revival might come, but the United States could just as easily become a secular, oppressive, political power, with only a small Christian voice. The United States could be the fourth beast in Daniel's vision.
Return to American Beast.
