HOWARD OWENS WRITES that we shouldn’t worry about charges of imperialism:

It’s a charge leveled by people who want the power for themselves and their kind. In Athens, it was the oligarchy, displaced by the democrats who trumped up the imperialism charge, then conspired with Sparta to war against Athens. Today, it’s a wide swath of liberals and a few conservatives (mostly paleos like Pat Buchanan) who blame western liberalism for all the evils of the world. Such people are uncomfortable with the uncertainty an open society engenders, and either consciously or unconsciously they seek more order and centralized control.

The charge of imperialism has nothing to do with any actual fault of the United States, and more to do with a fear that America’s model, the open society, will take hold in more regions of the world.

Interesting.

UPDATE: Don Williams sent me a lengthy comment on Howard Owens’ history, which he says is wrong, but it was too long to post here. He’s posted it with Howard’s essay — it’s comment #21, just scroll down.