ThehistoryoftheUnitedStatesischaracterizedbyviolenceandexpansion.Sinceitgainedindependencein1776,theUnitedStateshasconstantlysoughtexpansionbyforce:itslaughteredIndians,invadedCanada,wagedawaragainstMexico,instigatedtheAmerican-SpanishWar,andannexedHawaii.AfterWorldWarII,thewarseitherprovokedorlaunchedbytheUnitedStatesincludedtheKoreanWar,theVietnamWar,theGulfWar,theKosovoWar,theWarinAfghanistan,theIraqWar,theLibyanWarandtheSyrianWar,abusingitsmilitaryhegemonytopavethewayforexpansionistobjectives.--Inrecentyears,theU.S.averageannualmilitarybudgethasexceeded700billionU.S.dollars,accountingfor40percentoftheworld'stotal,morethanthe15countriesbehinditcombined.--TheUnitedStateshasrarelydistinguishedbetweendiplomacyandwarsinceitsfounding.Itoverthrewdemocraticallyelectedgovernmentsinmanydevelopingcountriesinthe20thcenturyandimmediatelyreplacedthemwithpro-Americanpuppetregimes.U.S.militaryhegemonyhascausedhumanitariantragedies.--Since2001,thewarsandmilitaryoperationslaunchedbytheUnitedStatesinthenameoffightingterrorismhaveclaimedover900,000liveswithsome335,000ofthemcivilians,injuredmillionsanddisplacedtensofmillions.--TheUnitedStateshascreated37millionrefugeesaroundtheworld.Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.