The "i" word

Another apparent source of nervousness with some Americans is when it is suggested that their country is imperialist (evil). Of course we should agree on what we understand under the word "imperialist". What about "the drive to impose one's will, might and values upon others"?

The first time I wondered about the history of Japan, I learned about the Commodore Perry and how he was sent by the Federal Govt of the USA in order to have Japan open its harbours to American ships. The black ships (kurofune) were another episode of the gunboat diplomacy.

I was a teenager then but I couldn't help being somehow surprised by the brutality of the invaders. Japanese, who were not interested with Americans or anybody else for that matter, were held a knife under the throat and they had one option only: to surrender! How's that for imperialism? And so ended the Sakoku policy

What didn't fail to surprise me was also the period in the history of the US. Hardly 3/4 of a century after the inception of the American Republic, this nation was already expanding west and over the seas. The Californian coast was scarcely populated to say the least, there were no more than 25 million inhabitants in the whole USA and Americans were after an island 3000 miles away.

As everyone knows, trade was the key word of this virtual military conquest of western markets.

Is it really surprising then that less than a century later the Japanese in return thought they could as well play the same sort of game than their former invaders and attack in Pearl Harbor? (Which was suicidal of course).

The question of American imperialism is still open as far as the XXth century is concerned but once again, as stated before, the souvenir of America in the making will still weigh heavy in the image of America abroad.