American Imperialism in Post 9/11 Era: Perspective from Pakistan

  • Dr. Talat Shabbir
Keywords: Imperialism, Pakistan, Structural Theory, United States

Abstract

This paper examines the theory of structural imperialism advanced by Johan Galtung which has remarkable relevance for relations between United States and Pakistan. In the 18th and 19th centuries, economically and militarily powerful European states had huge empires across the globe and exercised considerable political and economic influence over Africa and Asia. After World War II, imperial powers lost their control over their empires and the nation states became independent political entities. The world in the post war era was divided between the East, spearheaded by the Soviet Union, and the West led by the United States, giving birth to the cold war between both the super powers. The United States and the USSR began to dominate the divided world primarily due to military and economic superiority. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US became the sole power and it continues to pursue imperialistic dominance in the world. This paper examines American imperialism in the post 9/11 scenario and discusses the perspective of Pakistan in the light of centre-periphery facet argued by Johan Galtung in his structural theory of imperialism.

Author Biography

Dr. Talat Shabbir

Dr Talat Shabbir is Director China Pakistan Study Centre at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad.

Published
2020-03-29
How to Cite
Shabbir, Dr. Talat. 2020. “American Imperialism in Post 9/11 Era: Perspective from Pakistan”. Stratagem 2 (2), 59-79. https://journal.cscr.pk/stratagem/index.php/stratagem/article/view/48.