American Empire (Informal)

The United States since 1945 has exercised a form of global hegemony unprecedented in the modern era: 800 military bases in over 70 countries, the US dollar as global reserve currency, Hollywood and Silicon Valley shaping global culture, and international institutions (UN, IMF, World Bank, NATO) largely designed by and for American interests. Unlike its predecessors, American power operates through economic integration, cultural dominance, and institutional control rather than formal colonial rule.