Imperialism? What Imperialism?

Amazingly enough, the idea that the United States is an imperialist country is mocked and ridiculed by mainstream liberals and "conservatives" as being simply absurd.  This of course is pure ideological obfuscation.  There is plenty of historical and contemporary empirical evidence, and theoretical argument to demonstrate that indeed the United States of America is imperialist.  But every now and then there pops up a story to demonstrate the obvious truth.

To Hannam, chairman of J.P. Morgan Capital Markets, Afghanistan represents a gigantic, untapped opportunity -- one of the last great natural-resource frontiers. Landlocked and pinioned by imperial invaders, Afghanistan has been cursed by its geography for thousands of years. Now, for the first time, Hannam believes, that geography could be an asset. The two most resource-starved nations on the planet, China and India, sit next door to Afghanistan, where, according to Pentagon estimates, minerals worth nearly $1 trillion lie buried. True, there is a war under way. And it's unclear how the death of Osama bin Laden will impact the country's political and economic environment. But Hannam is not your usual investment banker: A former soldier, he has done business in plenty of strife-torn countries. So have all the members of his team, two of them former special forces soldiers who have fought here.

(Hat tip to David Ruccio)