New Imperialism, Ethnocentrism and Racism
Cecil Rhodes and Theodore Roosevelt argued that the expanded influence of their respective nations, Great Britain and the United States, would lead to world peace. The expansion of their influence, however, would necessarily require the use of military force. This seeming contradiction did not bother Rhodes and Roosevelt, who believed that it was necessary to use war to end the war. What are your thoughts on this logic? Consider also the responsibilities that maintaining “peace” requires. How do you think a country with the power that Rhodes and Roosevelt describe (say the U.S. today) should exercise its power?