Radu Georgescu: How did the geography of the United States contribute to its early economic and military power?
Alexandru Cristian: Since its beginnings, the American people have hoped for the dream of freedom. Geography has greatly benefited the United States of America, Professor Robert Kaplan in his books emphasized the relief and privileged position of the country. The variation and the watershed have allowed a safe and continuous development of the future American power. We can say that geography has had a great impact on economic development with an impact on the growth of the military power of the United States of America. We must not forget the decisive role of the Industrial Revolution in England but also the technological evolution of Europe at that time.
R.G.: What were the key geopolitical factors that led to the United States’ rise as a global power in the 20th century?
A.C.: I believe that the main geopolitical factor was the geographical position complemented by the resources of the subsoil. These allowed for economic growth unique in the history of mankind. This power stimulated population growth, technological evolution, literacy, science, education but also innovation. The rise of the United States of America was stimulated by the very well-oriented economic boom but also by a clear division of the labor market, with all the inherent turbulence ( labor syndicates, boycott).
R.G.: In what ways did the Monroe Doctrine shape the United States’ foreign policy and geopolitical ambitions in the Western Hemisphere?
A.C.: The Monroe Doctrine was the first step in asserting American great power, by implementing a strategy of future great power. The United States of America felt the uniqueness of its destiny, this doctrine was a step in the awareness of its future geopolitical role at a global level but also an isolationist decision that protected it from possible external interference from the Old World.
R.G.: How did the acquisition of territories like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines affect the United States’ geopolitical influence in the Pacific and Latin America?
A.C.: These territories allowed the projection of American power beyond its borders. If we look at all these territories, they can be considered true “aircraft carriers” of American power, launch platforms for the American model into the interiors of the continents, Latin America, and Asia. Control of Central America is the base from which the rise of the American superpower began, through the control of the Panama Canal.
R.G.: What role did the concept of “Manifest Destiny” play in the expansion of the United States and its eventual emergence as a continental power?
A.C.: The manifest destiny was the creed of the American people completed with the historical truth and the geostrategic reality. The American settlers felt the potential of the space between the oceans and it thus became the greatest power within 150 years’ time. Of course, there were competitors and foreign powers that wanted to stop the glorious evolution of this nation.
The manifest destiny was a guide for the people, cultural personalities, great politicians, strategists, or businessmen. Everyone believed that the United States was chosen to carry out a mission, that of democratizing the world. Unless it had believed this, the US would not have got involved in the two World Wars, it would not have saved Europe from ruin, and it would not have faced China.
Root-anchored America does not forget its history and does not hesitate to do for anything to defend its past and to preserve its future. The depth of this state which has well established its role in history and its cultural archetype, which has not given up perennial values, so that free men can build their destiny – that is the American reality, and the country will not quit such freedom in the future.
R.G.: How did World War II reshape the United States’ geopolitical strategy and position it as a superpower in the Cold War era?
A.C.: The fall of Carthage did not mean the fall of the thalassocracy, but a redefinition of this until the peak of the thalassocratic power in history, that is the British Empire, the largest empire in the world history, spreading over about 30 million square kilometers during its period of maximum expansion, after the end of the First World War.
The Cold War, dated by some authors between 1947 and 1991, while by other authors as starting from 1946, represented the direct confrontation of two great superpowers, a telurocratic power (the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) and a thalassocratic power (the United States). These two great superpowers dueled on ideological, political, economical, and military grounds. The state that adapted its economy and its financial system to the natural evolution of history – the thalassocratic power – won.
I can say with certainty that the United States of America rescued Europe, helped the Soviet Union, and helped the Eastern European countries, the role of this great country was crucial in world history. The American Grand Strategy was represented by blocking the unification of the continental mass between Germany and Russia, thus our country (Romania) acquired an essential role in the American Grand Strategy.
R.G.: What role did the U.S. economic model and technological innovation play in its rise to global power during the 20th century?
A.C.: The American economic model and technological evolution have produced a true revolution at a global level. The entire planet has been seduced by the famous American Dream. We can say that the United States of America is a cultural empire par excellence. Thus, this empire has managed to build perennial cultural, economic, scientific, and technological archetypes. The most powerful vector of American power today is INNOVATION-DISRUPTION. A disruptive power that will continue to innovate the face of our planet and that will not be defeated by recent challenges.
R.G.: In the 21st century, how has American foreign policy evolved in response to shifting global power dynamics, such as the rise of China and the resurgence of Russia?
A.C.: Now, the United States of America has an imperial temptation, a tempered one to guide the planet and preserve democracy and values in the world. Many analysts believe that this is not happening now and that America may have become more totalitarian/authoritarian. Nothing could be more false!
The United States of America remains a great democratic power and its decisions are difficult to understand because they are part of a new grand strategy.
A major impact will be represented by the role of the United States in the negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine, the negotiations in the Middle East, but also the new turbulence in Kashmir. What may cause some new outcomes at the planetary level is the return of Vladislav Surkov to the Kremlin, the Wizzard of Kremlin. Interestingly, this man reappears at crucial moments in the recent Russian history, but the United States of America is also prepared for the great negotiations after the ceasefire in Ukraine.
Currently, China wants to destroy the path of the United States of America and plunge the American state into historical oblivion. China wants to throw the United States off the stage of history, and for this, they are constantly preparing. Time passes and the great pressure on China’s leadership increases and the American establishment is preparing assiduously for the huge confrontation on the level of history.
The United States of America will fight in the future to preserve its glorious past and will maintain its supremacy with all necessary and just measures. They will not trigger conflicts, and will not cause great changes with planetary effect because the United States believes in freedom, equality, opportunity, and democracy. And the United States of America will win although many prophets see it in decline and even more even want it to disappear from history…
Disclaimer: This paper was prepared or accomplished by Alexandru CRISTIAN in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this interview are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of national/international institution or governement.
Alexandru Cristian is an historian, writer, lawyer born on October 23, 1987 in Brăila, county Brăila, Romania. He holds a Ph.D. Thesis in Information and National Security from the “Carol I” National Defense University in 2015. He graduated in Law in 2019 at Titu Maiorescu University in Bucharest. He published several studies over US- Romanian Relations like 140 years of Us-Romanian Relations, Partners without Partnership in 2020 published on Amazon Kindle Edition, Romania- The United States of America – Past, Present and Future, Prouniversitaria Publishing House, 2023. He studied Romanian-American diplomatic relations. He is a member of the American Academy of Poets.
