Since its earliest days, America has supported ugly regimes for a variety of reasons: reputable European realpolitik, the dictators’ openness to foreign investment, and simply because other options were still worse. Idealism has slowly poisoned American foreign politics. The United States entered the world wars against Germany for no reason of national significance, but rather to establish America, a newcomer to world politics, as a global hegemon. Might bred pride. The danger and costs restricted idealism and pride initially, but the changes in power after WWII propelled the United States to superpower status. America could bring light and build ambitions safely and at relatively moderate cost. Thus came the dubious wars in Korea and Vietnam, and the non-feasible but image-building protection of Western Europe against Russia. America behaved like an ambitious, unchecked giant. Each stratum got a piece of the pie: idealists defended the free world against communism, while imperialists extended American influence into the Asian jungles.

America’s political expansion into the Middle East didn’t serve commercial interests. The US oil corporations did business in the Arabian Peninsula before the state’s involvement. The US-supported Arab regimes generally denied foreign companies from developing local oilfields. Arabs never intend to stop the oil supply, nor could they survive without oil revenues. America involved itself heavily in the Middle East to counter Soviet expansion, but why? In the worst-case scenario, if the Soviets stopped oil shipments, America could comfortably supply itself from its domestic oil fields, and from Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. The quest for influence was entirely driven by imperial ambitions.

Unwilling to replay the Vietnam scenario and install quisling regimes in Arab countries, the only option America was left with was buying influence. When the United States refused to pay for the Aswan dam, Nasser switched sides and took Russian aid, instead. America virtually begged the Arabs to accept its authority. The US accepted wicked, corrupt, fundamentalist, openly hostile regimes, such as the Saudis, and fought for Kuwait without asking for a price. Measuring influence in square miles rather than military force, America sided with the Arabs to pressure Israel for concessions instead of rationally standing firm behind its strong and reliable ally. Now both Arabs and Israelis are contemptuous of America.

The United States doesn’t need an empire. Military might didn’t help it in its many trade conflicts with the Arabs, Japan, and Europe. No country significantly threatens America. The country doesn’t profit from its protectorates, but spends handsomely to maintain their condescending loyalty.

People welcome incidental help but resist long-term patronage or intervention. Protracted wars, such as in Iraq, bring the empire no benefits. America can achieve popular goodwill abroad with education programs, ideological expansion, and by the pinpoint killings of evil rulers, the Saudis included.