![]() has two main challengers, Russia and China, but neither are empires. In the past, we could talk of inter-imperialist rivalry but substantially, since 1945-and certainly since the collapse of the Soviet Union-there has only been one imperialism, that of the United States. Economics may be considered the infrastructure, but it is managed by a superstructure of various components, political, military ethic, civilizational and religious. Imperialism is a complex creature with many aspects that shift in importance over time and, sometimes, in variance with each other. The proximate causes of war may be manifold, but imperialism is often-and evermore increasingly-the strategic driver of conflict. The ultimate cause of the violence may be far distant from the action, and the principal scriptwriters may well not wear military uniforms but civilian clothing. We see the drama but may not be aware of the playwrights. But, in reality, the real action and the cause of this visual display is happening deep within the earth. When we look at an erupting volcano, our attention is drawn to the spewing forth of red-hot magma and the billowing smoke. War is like a volcanic eruption in that it both exposes and obscures the clash of powerful forces.
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