Interview: U.S. military hegemony root of global instability, says scholar

BUENOS AIRES, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- The military hegemony of the United States is creating conflicts and instability worldwide, according to Gabriel Merino, adjunct professor at the National University of La Plata in Argentina.

"The military hegemony of the United States is a key component of that country's political hegemony. If you want to understand the rise of the United States as a global power, the military issue is key," Merino said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Xinhua Institute, the think tank of Xinhua News Agency, released a report titled Origins, Facts and Perils of U.S. Military Hegemony on Tuesday, with some experts joining the event in person and virtually, including Merino.

The scholar stated that "throughout the more than 240 years of United States history, there were fewer than 20 years in which that country was not at war. The United States could be considered the most belligerent country in the history of the world."

He pointed out that Washington's military hegemony and war logic are evident from its military bases around the globe and its interventions in the internal political affairs of other countries and regions.

"The United States has military tentacles around the world and currently has around 750 military bases in at least 80 countries and regions. We can also mention the wars in Iraq, in Afghanistan, the interventions in Libya and Syria, actions that have sought to reinforce their hegemony," Merino said.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, Washington backed "military dictatorships or coups to maintain or recover its continental hegemony. This has been terrible for our history," the expert continued.

"The Monroe Doctrine cannot be ignored in our region. Two hundred years after being made explicit, it is still in force and related to Washington's fundamental interests, including controlling the region's raw materials and markets that the United States continues to consider its 'backyard,'" he said.

But worldwide, "the military power of the United States and other Western powers has been an important element combined with the logic of capitalism."

He said both factors have been the core of colonialism and Western imperialism in a move to promote capitalism.

Today, the world is witnessing a "hybrid war, a transition of power and the decline of the West, of the United States," something dangerous because, in such a situation, military force may be used to deal with a power shift, he said.

There is a redistribution of power driven by the emergence of a multipolar world and the rise of Asia, said the scholar.

"If the United States plans to prevent that rise through military force, to maintain its military hegemony, there will be systemic chaos. In fact, we already have wars and signs of this situation and these problems, but it could potentially escalate to become a problem for humanity," he warned.

"Global stability is at risk. In fact, I believe we are in (a state of) global instability. The relative decline of the United States and the Western geopolitical world will not be peaceful," Merino concluded.