NationStates

The Solar Accords wrote:

The Shrailleeni Empire wrote:
I think that handwaving the overseas territories as having not happened recently is a pretty big ask. These are still territories ruled over in an asymmetric relationship to the imperial center, with different rights and responsibilities than most Americans. The Constitution only partly applies to them. Additionally the tribal sovereignty of the recognized Native American nations have the status of "dependent sovereign nation" under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress, making them (in the most generous terms) literally imperialized nations.

That is quite true, and I see now that I was, indeed, incorrect. Going back and viewing relevant and unbiased articles and documents on the history of the US, and by remembering my sophomore World History class, it is indeed fact that, yes, the US can be classed as an empire, due to the economic, territorial, and political manipulation, exploitation, invasion, and annexation of certain nations, peoples, or indigenous entities it has engaged in, and still practices to this day, even to its own citizens. It can be seen as either a successor to the British Empire (seeing as the US is, in technical terms, of British foundation, if you base the claim on the 13 colonies.), or as a new, potentially dangerous, nation that seeks to inject everything with its corrupted, decadent style of capitalism, that strays quite far from normal capitalism.

Genivaria wrote:We need a proper Imperial Army for our Empire.

Celritannia wrote:

The Shrailleeni Empire wrote:The British Overseas Territories are the last remnant of the British Empire that still exists. Some of them remain quite different demographically than any of the United Kingdom, and are ruled directly by the United Kingdom with varying degrees of local self-government. They include Anguilla, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Falklands, Montserrat, and the Pitcairn Islands, among a total of fourteen. So yes, the British Empire still exists, albeit in a much reduced state from its previous territory.

That's not technically true.
The UK Government neither owns them, not administers them. They have authority of Defence and Foreign relations, but are not held against their will by the UK government.
The Falklands and Gibraltar for example, are made of of 100% British citizens from the UK, and therefore cannot really be considered Imperial Territory.

The Shrailleeni Empire wrote:

Celritannia wrote:
That's not technically true.
The UK Government neither owns them, not administers them. They have authority of Defence and Foreign relations, but are not held against their will by the UK government.
The Falklands and Gibraltar for example, are made of of 100% British citizens from the UK, and therefore cannot really be considered Imperial Territory.

An imperial territory doesn't have to be held against its will. I think there is a well-deserved idea that imperial territories are always subjugated and oppressed, but that isn't necessarily the case, especially in the present day after decades of reforms in administration among the imperial territories of Britain, France, the U.S., and others.

Each territory has sometimes wildly different self-government, Bermuda is essentially an informal commonwealth while the Pitcairn Islands for example remain ultimately under the legislative jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. They do all fall under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom by the way, which is the closest to owning them that I think you can get. And most of them fall under the authority of the Overseas Territories Directorate within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

I think regardless of the specifics, its quite safe to say that the BOT form the last remnant of the British Empire in terms of both land held far from the metropole and unique jurisdiction. The inhabitants of the territories are almost all British Overseas Territory Citizens, although after 2002 most of them are now also British Citizens, even though many of them are not "from the UK" originally. Unlike Commonwealth nations they have no independent military or foreign relations, and some of them even have local government subject to UK oversight.

Celritannia wrote:

The Shrailleeni Empire wrote:
An imperial territory doesn't have to be held against its will. I think there is a well-deserved idea that imperial territories are always subjugated and oppressed, but that isn't necessarily the case, especially in the present day after decades of reforms in administration among the imperial territories of Britain, France, the U.S., and others.

Each territory has sometimes wildly different self-government, Bermuda is essentially an informal commonwealth while the Pitcairn Islands for example remain ultimately under the legislative jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. They do all fall under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom by the way, which is the closest to owning them that I think you can get. And most of them fall under the authority of the Overseas Territories Directorate within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

I think regardless of the specifics, its quite safe to say that the BOT form the last remnant of the British Empire in terms of both land held far from the metropole and unique jurisdiction. The inhabitants of the territories are almost all British Overseas Territory Citizens, although after 2002 most of them are now also British Citizens, even though many of them are not "from the UK" originally. Unlike Commonwealth nations they have no independent military or foreign relations, and some of them even have local government subject to UK oversight.

Yet I would not say the British Empire exists because of them.

Celritannia wrote:

The Shrailleeni Empire wrote:
An imperial territory doesn't have to be held against its will. I think there is a well-deserved idea that imperial territories are always subjugated and oppressed, but that isn't necessarily the case, especially in the present day after decades of reforms in administration among the imperial territories of Britain, France, the U.S., and others.

Each territory has sometimes wildly different self-government, Bermuda is essentially an informal commonwealth while the Pitcairn Islands for example remain ultimately under the legislative jurisdiction of the United Kingdom. They do all fall under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom by the way, which is the closest to owning them that I think you can get. And most of them fall under the authority of the Overseas Territories Directorate within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

I think regardless of the specifics, its quite safe to say that the BOT form the last remnant of the British Empire in terms of both land held far from the metropole and unique jurisdiction. The inhabitants of the territories are almost all British Overseas Territory Citizens, although after 2002 most of them are now also British Citizens, even though many of them are not "from the UK" originally. Unlike Commonwealth nations they have no independent military or foreign relations, and some of them even have local government subject to UK oversight.

Yet I would not say the British Empire exists because of them.