Overview of Code Switch — Is the U.S. "empire" beginning to show cracks?
This episode of Code Switch (host Gene Demby) interviews historian Daniel Immerwahr about his book How to Hide an Empire and the often-overlooked history and present reality of U.S. colonialism and global power projection. The conversation reframes the United States not just as a continental republic but as a polity with territories, colonial subjects, and a global basing network — and it assesses how recent political choices (especially under Donald Trump) may be straining or changing that arrangement.
Key points and main takeaways
- The U.S. has long operated like an empire: territories (Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii, Wake), colonial subjects, and an extensive global military presence. Calling it anything else obscures important facts about U.S. history and power.
- American avoidance of the word "empire" is deliberate and tied to national identity (revolution against British imperial rule). Euphemisms — territories, possessions, holdings — help hide imperial relationships and their consequences.
- At certain moments (e.g., December 7, 1941), most people under U.S. sovereignty lived in territories outside the continental United States — a fact rarely acknowledged in mainstream historical memory.
- U.S. military bases (~750, many undisclosed) create unequal local economies and legal regimes: service economies, sex work, dollar-driven commerce, and jurisdictional tensions when incidents involve U.S. personnel.
- Bases and U.S. presence fuel local political backlash (example: bin Laden’s outrage over U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia; political crises in Japan over bases).
- Trump’s foreign policy is described as "cannibalizing the empire": rather than managing a sprawling set of global interests (playing long-term chess), he acts more unilaterally and impulsively, which can both weaken U.S. hegemony and remove restraints that previously prevented certain military actions.
- The decline or transformation of U.S. hegemony raises two broad futures: chaotic/anarchic competition (or domination by other powers) or a more multilateral order of many medium powers cooperating — the outcome is uncertain.
Topics discussed
- Daniel Immerwahr’s origins for the book: traveling to Manila and recognizing American imprint (street names, vehicles) made U.S. colonial history feel immediate.
- Historical overview: U.S. imperial expansion around 1898; why the U.S. distanced itself from the term “empire” after World War I.
- World War II framing: Japan attacked U.S. territories (Hawaii, the Philippines, Guam, Wake) the same day as Pearl Harbor — a fact typically missing from popular narratives.
- Military bases: their number, secrecy, local economic and legal impacts, and role in geopolitical strategy.
- Domestic politics of empire: how imperial practices have been masked in U.S. teaching and public consciousness.
- Trump-era foreign policy: examples (Venezuela, threats to Cuba, escalations with Iran) and the argument that Trump’s approach undermines the integrated, interest-conscious management past presidents practiced.
- Economic complexity: the U.S.-led global order benefited many U.S. interests but also created domestic winners and losers; debates over whether retrenchment helps or harms the U.S. economy and global stability.
- Possible endgames for U.S. hegemony and what a post-U.S.-led order might look like.
Notable quotes and insights
- "The United States has always been just in the strictest sense an empire." — Daniel Immerwahr (paraphrased)
- On WWII: the U.S. experienced attacks not only at Pearl Harbor but on multiple U.S. territories the same day — a detail often omitted from U.S. memory.
- Trump is "cannibalizing the empire" — acting without the long-range consideration that restrained earlier presidents, which both weakens traditional hegemony and permits riskier, unilateral actions.
- The U.S. deliberately uses euphemisms (territories, holdings) to avoid the moral and political implications of the word "colony."
Why this matters / who should listen
- Useful for listeners interested in U.S. history, foreign policy, decolonization, military strategy, and racial/ethnic politics.
- Helps reframe current news (bases, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Iran) in a longer, structural historical context.
- Important for educators, policy students, journalists, and civic-minded listeners who want to better understand how language shapes public perception of power.
Suggested next steps (action items)
- Read Daniel Immerwahr’s How to Hide an Empire for a fuller historical account.
- Look up histories of specific U.S. territories (Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, Hawaii) and how U.S. policy affected them.
- Question common terminology in coverage of U.S. foreign policy: who is included in "the United States" and who is excluded from democratic rights?
- Follow reporting on local impacts of U.S. bases and on policy debates about basing, sovereignty, and military jurisdiction.
Episode credits
- Host: Gene Demby
- Guest: Daniel Immerwahr (historian, Northwestern; author of How to Hide an Empire)
- Produced by: Jess Kung
- Edited by: Lea Dinella
- Additional Code Switch team listed in episode: Christina Kala, Xavier Lopez, Dalia Mortada, Yolanda Sanguini, B. Parker
(Sponsors and ads were included in the episode: Jerry, Progressive, Warby Parker, LinkedIn Ads, BetterHelp, Capella University, MidiHealth.)