Making Imperialism easier since 2002

First good meme I've found here today.

Dude, the United States hasn't done anything remotely imperialistic since we ceded the Philippines. Every armed conflict in which we've engaged since WWI has either been to defend someone/something (WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War) or to forestall possible hostile action (Iraq War, Afghanistan).

Now, does it mean all of our military action ever conducted has been just? No. But the title of your meme irked me and I had to write this.

Puerto Rico, Guam, The Virgin Islands? The sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela? 750 bases in 80 countries?

Puerto Rico and Guam were acquired after the Spanish-American war, which happened the better part of a century before we ceded the Philippines. We bought the Virgin Islands for $25 million from the Dutch. Sanctions are normal state policy, not imperialistic state policy.

And the military bases? Oh man, I can't believe you think they're imperialistic. They are there because one of two things is true:
1) They're in use during currently active military conflicts, the cause of which has never been the acquisition of territory.

2) They're garrisoned by U.S troops and countries are happy to host them. Like it or not, the United States of America is keeping the global peace. Nobody will dare to attack a nation with U.S troops stationed there. Why do you think Ukraine would love to have a base on its soil? The host nations can tell us off whenever they like, but they love us because we're the best deterrent in history. Why do you think Germany spend so little on its military? It's because there are thousands of permanent U.S troops stationed in that nation. They don't NEED a big military.

But by all means, please keep explaining how we're such a land-hungry nation.

I'm sorry but I typed out a very long response then the page reloaded for some reason and I lost it. I know that sounds lazy and you probably don't believe me but I'm sorry.

Dude if I decide to not believe that then I have no grounds to treat anything else you type as being truthful or not (as you understand it, at least). Besides, I've done the same thing more than once. You're all good. :)

But what I wrote is the truth; America is not an imperialist country, hasn't been for almost a century and even when it was it was a very brief period of time, not more than a few decades. We have our problems, but feeling the need to wage war for territory really ain't one of them.