[…] Protectorates are either good or bad. Good protectorates are force multipliers. A hegemon might come to save them when they are threatened or attacked for in return for some structural benefits during peacetime—raw materials and mining, or manpower and manufacturing. Bad protectorates are those who want to chain-gang you into a war of choice. Most U.S. “allies” are, by that definition, basically bad protectorates.
Using the term “protectorates” instead of “allies” is useful, as it makes it clear which affiliates are beneficial and which are corrosive. It puts the burden on those who want American protection to make themselves useful to America. It deters them from dragging their hegemonic protector into their petty ethnic or regional rivalries, begging for protection when the inevitable retaliations materialize. It prevents the development of an Electra complex in foreign policy. It is a true, objective, and quantifiable measure of determining which countries are useful and which are not. And officials around Donald Trump, or aligned media influencers, should start using the term to influence the president’s decision-making more. Läs artikel