Is the U.S. 'empire' beginning to show cracks?

Is the U.S. 'empire' beginning to show cracks?

From Code Switch by NPR

April 18, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the history of U.S. empire building and its implications in light of recent military actions by the Trump administration.

The Trump administration's recent military actions have had certain observers asking... are we going full empire? But Daniel Immerwahr, a historian and the author of How to Hide an Empire, argues that the U.S. has engaged in empire building for hundreds of years — we've just been sneakier about it than other countries. So on today's show, we're breaking down what that history of colonization has looked like, and how President Trump's international escapades are scrambling the global order. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

People in this episode

Guest: Daniel Immerwahr

Topics covered

  • empire
  • military actions
  • colonization
  • global order
  • history

Keywords

  • empire building
  • Trump administration
  • How to Hide an Empire
  • colonization history
  • global order

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: How to Hide an Empire

Places: U.S.

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