Why Do Empires Still Exist In The Twenty First Century

The word empire has a negative undertone. Countries no longer want to use this term to describe its history or its rise to an influential power in today’s world. This is also the case for the United States. The word empire is mostly avoided in describing the history of the U.S. The question is if the U.S can be seen as a modern empire in history. Furthermore does the U.S share certain similarities with other empires in history? And do empires still exists in the twenty first century? The Ottoman Empire actively expanded its territory during the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The Ottomans not only conquered large parts of Europe and Asia, but also kept control of these territories for decades. In contrast, the United States is not actively conquering territories.
This involvement can be seen as a way to extend its state power, that is to say, the U.S can influence politics and international law in its favour. Yet, that is not to say that the U.S never expanded its territory in certain ways. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century Americans seized land of the Native Americans, whether these seizures of land were legal is still debated. The question of empires still exist in the twenty first century is hard to answer. The term empire is no longer used to describe countries. It might be because it is linked to repression and corruption or it might be that the term cannot be used on modern day countries. At the same time, countries like the U.S still use its influence to consolidate and legitimate its power in the world. To explain, the concept of democracy can be used. The U.S is seen as a democratic country in which the people have a say in how they are governed.