How did the US Become a Superpower?
From Down Under to down south Follow The Adventures of an Australian family who packed up and moved to the other side of the world to follow a dream of making your life in Nashville Tennessee I’m your host Aussie Mike and together with bicki buoy and brib we will share our
Daily craziness in an attempt to warn you or inspire you to make this transcontinental move it’s a big good day and welcome to another episode of from Down Under to down south ozy Mike in the chair and today we will explore America’s place in the world as the only
Superpower how do you got there and the challenges it currently faces around the world from the Middle East to Latin America Europe and Asia how did a relatively new country become the world’s strongest in a span of just 200 years we’ll take a look at the state Department’s current list of do not
Travel destinations in an attempt to help you plan where to go or where not to go for your vacation plans in 2024 all that and more so stick around today’s episode is brought to you by soothe your soul with Nikki helping spiritualist Channel their higher self through guided meditation Enlightenment
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And discover your inner piece with Nikki’s raiki collection head on over to soo your soul. Biz and find your inner piece today you know one of the exciting things I think about doing a podcast is the global reach that you can have and looking at the statistics of where you
Guys are listening from I’m amazed to see there’s a list of around 28 different countries at the moment I am yet to see listeners from some of the places that we’re about to talk about today but hey you never know so the US has formal diplomatic relations with
Most nations with the exception of Bhutan Iran North Korea Syria and the state of Palestine which the United States does not recognize the US has more diplomatic posts being embassies Etc than any other country formal diplomatic relations with Australia were only set in 1940 but despite this the relationship between our two countries
Has ascended to be one of the closest and strongest that both have with any other country in the world the first country that the US formed diplomatic relations with was France and that was in 1778 followed by the Netherlands in 1782 Spain in 1783 and former ruler of the US the UK
In 1785 the Diplomatic relationship with the French who then in turn brought the Spanish and Dutch into the war of independence to fight the British can be seen as a critical act that turned the tide of the War neutralizing the British Naval dominance it wasn’t until the late
19th century that the US emerged as a great Global power up until that stage American foreign policy was seen as important to fulfill the country’s Manifest Destiny and remain free of entanglement over overseas Hawaii played a role in this with it becoming a US territory in 1898 with the US concerned
Even at this time of Japanese expansion in the Pacific it was also in this year that the 4month long American Spanish War was fought resulting in a victory for the US and Cuba Puerto Rico Guam and the Philippines all becoming under Us control and thus making America into a
Global power in the early 1900s the US intervened militarily in many Latin American nations in in order to stabilize governments impose democracy and protect Commerce when the first world war broke out in 1914 the US declared neutrality however they were brought into the war in 1917 following many American Merchant ships being sunk
By the Germans at one point 10,000 American troops were arriving Each Day in France leaving the Germans in a hopeless position which ultimately led to their surrender this left the US with the initiative on the military diplomatic and public relations fronts as a Global power in the 1930s the US
Was in a period of isolationism avoiding getting involved in the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939 and the initial two years of the second world war as Germany again ravaged Europe that all changed with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 which then led to
The US fighting a war in both the Pacific and in Europe after the war the devastation of its European and Asian Rivals the United States found itself in a uniquely powerful position due due to its enormous economic and military power there was no further isolationism the US were instrumental in establishing the
United Nations with its headquarters in New York City and the Cold War which ran from 1947 to 1991 commenced with the Soviet Union the world was split between NATO aligned War Pac aligned and non-aligned countries and the world was under the everpresent threat of nuclear Holocaust proxy wars were fought all
Over the globe in places like Afghanistan Cambodia and Nicaragua where the US and Soviet Union would back one side or the other for their own political gain the Cold War was at its most dangerous in 1962 where for 13 days the Cuban Missile Crisis played out under the presidency of John F Kennedy
As the Soviets plac nuclear missiles in Cuba at this time the US had a containment policy where they would become involved wherever the Soviets attempted to spread communism this led to the Korean and Vietnam Wars the war in Vietnam saw over 3.1 million Americans serving there at some point
With more than 58,000 killed America became involved in Vietnam due to the fear of Communism spreading throughout southeast Asia the Catalyst to commit was the Gulf of tonen incident in 1964 and a reported second incident 3 days later there is still a lot of skepticism surrounding these events and it is seen
By some as being fabricated to get America more involved in the war in the 1970s President Nixon transformed American policy with his top advisor Henry Kissinger he backed away from the long-standing containment policy and change to supporting Allied countries through making their own military stronger the US defense industry kicked
Into gear and American support for both an American friendly Iran at the time and Saudi Arabia was begun in the early 1970s it was the Reagan Administration in the early 80s with an announced goal of winning the Cold War and destroying the threat of Communism that made dramatic increases in defense spending
An $8.5 billion sale to the Saudis and arms deals with the Israelis the Eastern European allies of the Soviets revolted and the Iron Curtain fell in 1991 leaving the United States as the single Global superpower in the 30 years since the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end
Of the Cold War China has emerged as the more likely to rival the United States on the world stage both politically and militarily disputes over Taiwan the South China Sea and Chinese belt and Road initiatives in many third countries around the globe are seen by the us as the Chinese spreading influence and
There is concern about the longer term plans of the red dragon in these areas news coverage here in the US daily of Chinese aggression plans for a Taiwanese Invasion and just today I read an article where the Chinese claim that a trump victory in this year’s us election
Would mean that America would abandon Taiwan and see a return to isolationism the world is certainly on the precipice of something catastrophic breaking out from the Russian invasion of Ukraine the current state of The Middle East Venezuelan threats to invade Guyana amongst more than three dozen Global
Hotspots this year certainly looks to be a historic year who wins the election at the end of 2024 in the US could play a huge role in what happens next year and over the next 5 to 10 years so with that being said let’s have a look at where
You probably shouldn’t go on a long weekend or a twoe vacation right now the US state department issued travel advisories and warnings and these are up dated as soon as situation develop there are currently 19 countries around the world where the US has a do not travel
Warning there are also many do not Travel warnings for specific areas around the world such as the southern border of Lebanon the Saudi border with Yemen various states in Mexico due to cartel related crime and kidnapping and even cities Pacific do not Travel warnings including various cities and
Parishes in Jamaica due to a recent spike in crime there as for the Pacific POA New Guinea is the only country with an increased travel advice and it’s at a level three with banville and the highlands regions of PNG being listed as do not travel in Asia there are
Currently two countries listed Myanmar which is formerly known as Burma and it’s listed due to civil unrest armed conflict and arbitrary enforcement of local laws limited or inadequate health care and emergency medical resources and areas with landmines and unexploded ordinances they state that you should exercise increased caution due to
Wrongful detentions and that the the country experienced a military coup in 2021 which has since subjected detainees to torture in detention so maybe stay away from Myanmar it probably would come no surprise that the other Asian country is North Korea there is a do not travel
Advice listed for North Korea due to the continuing serious risk of arrest and long-term Detention of us Nationals you need to exercise increased caution in North Korea due to the critical threat of wrongful detention there it is again interesting not about North Korea all US passports are invalid for travel to the
Country and you need to get special permission under the authority of the secretary of state in order to go and travel there there’s also been much talk of late that North Korea is on a war trajectory against South Korea and in turn the US and Japan it’s also a
Country that has intrigued the more adventurous to go and visit like uto war from Cincinnati he visited there as a tourist in 2015 only to be arrested for attempting to steal a poster of of the country’s leader Kim Jong ill womo was released after 17 months in detention
But was in a com State and later died just a few months later at the age of 22 North Korea probably the best advice would be to stay away from that one as well I know I’ve spoken to many Americans that have been based in Korea
Uh with the military and have worked on the DMZ they the line in between North and South Korea certainly sounds like an interesting place but I would suggest not crossing the border like some people have then we move to the Middle East where American influence has been on
Full display for many decades American fall policy originally had a focus of stopping the Soviet Union’s influence in the region during the Cold War but was also focused on ensuring a stable flow of you guess it oil out of the Persian Gulf as countries such as Saudi Arabia have increased in power American
Influence in this region has started to decrease this has been evidenced recently throughout the Arab Spring uprisings across the region Israel is one of the United States key non-nato allies and they play a significant factor in how the US interacts with the total region currently there are five
Countries on the do not travel list number one Iran do not travel due to the risk of terrorism civil unrest kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest of US citizens exercise increased caution due to wrongful detentions US citizens should not travel to Iran for any reason US citizens visit or residing in Iran
Have been kidnapped arrested and detained Iranian authorities continue to unjustly detain and imprison us Nationals particularly jeel National us Iranian Nationals including students journalists business Travelers and academics on charges including Espionage and posing a threat to National Security Iranian authorities routinely delay Consular access to detained us Nationals
And consistently deny Consular access to dual us Iranian Nationals violent extremist groups including US Government designated terrorist organizations operate in Iran Isis and Affiliated groups have claimed responsibility for bombings and other attacks in the country the threat of terrorist activity persists as does the risk of death or
Injury to bystanders Iran is a country that is in news headlines every day here as a public wait to see how the US military will respond to Iranian back militia attacks against the US bases and shipping off the Gulf of Yemen there is a strong and growing call for the US to
Strike Iran directly and strongly and this is a relationship that appears to be worsening and could result in a much wider conflict throughout the Middle East should it ignite then we move to Yemen and Yemen there are a lot of similarities between Yemen and Iran the
Do not travel to Yemen is due to terrorism civil unrest crime health risks kidnapping armed conflict and landmines I don’t think you could ask for much more out of Yemen the US Embassy in s actually suspended its operation in 2015 and the US is currently unable to provide emergency
Services to any of its citizens in Yemen terrorist groups including alqaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Islamic State Affiliates continue to plot and conduct attacks in Yemen terrorists May attack with little or no warning targeting public sites Transportation hubs markets shopping malls and local government facilities additionally there is a
Continuing threat of kidnapping detention by terrorists criminal elements and or non-government actors employees of foreign organizations may be targeted for attack or kidnapping stay away from Yemen that would be my best bet of course we also have Afghanistan which has a do not travel advice as well similar reasons again as
Terrorism the risk of wrongful detention kidnapping crime Etc there are multiple terrorist groups that are in the country and in 2021 the Taliban took over Afghanistan and announced an interim government based in Kell the US Embassy in Kell suspended operations they left it was a big mess and obviously
Afghanistan has been in the news a lot here due to the huge US military presence that was in the country the other ones in the Middle East that they mention are Iraq and Syria now Palestine which is the West Bank and Gaza the state of Palestine is listed on there as
Well as the US does not listed as a country it’s not listed as a country but that’s obviously makes sense given what’s happening between Israel and Palestine at the moment that you probably don’t want to travel over there either now when we come to Europe we’ve got three countries listed and it
Probably comes no surprise if you check out the news headlines that the number one country that you want to avoid right now is Russia do not travel to Russia due to the unpredictable consequences of the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military forces there is a big potential to be harassed
And the singling out of US citizens for detention by the Russian government there is arbitrary enforcement of local laws and limited flights into and out of Russia I know many people actually that have traveled to Russia in the past before all this happened who love going over there and check cheing out the
History Etc and the food but the US Embassy has limited ability to assist American citizens in Russia and they advise you to get out should also note this one’s interesting that Us credit card and debit cards will no longer work in Russia and options to electronically transfer funds from the US are extremely
Limited and that’s due to sanctions imposed on Russian Banks there are reported cash shortages all throughout the country and there’s also strong concerns that Americans in Russia could be forced to serve the Russian army and fight in the Ukraine there have been several high-profile detentions of US citizens including reporters on alleged
Spying charges and of course I should also mention American basketball players that go over there and maybe have some drugs or some marijuana and then they end up in jail we might talk about that one a little bit later so for reasons also linked with Russia was bellarus and
Ukraine so they’re all there on the do not travel list in Africa there are several countries in Africa that need to be crossed off your travel plans I know if you had a trip planned to the Bina Faso the Central African Republic Libya Mali South Sudan Sudan and Somalia you
Might want to change your mind on that one in fact in the case of Somalia do not travel is due to Crime terrorism civil unrest health issues kidnapping and piracy of course piracy was made very famous by a movie I am your captain now violent crime such as kidnapping and
Murder is common throughout Somalia illegal roadblocks are widespread and some schools and other facilities acting as cultural rehabilitation centers they are operating throughout Somalia with inadequate or non-existing licensing and oversight there are many reports of physical abuse and people being held against their will in these facilities it’s very common terrorists continue to
Plot kidnappings bombings and other attacks in Somalia they may conduct attacks with little or no warning targeting airports and sea ports government buildings hotels restaurants shopping areas and other areas that attract large crowds and are frequented by westerners as well as Government military and Western convoys methods of
Attack can include car bombs suicide bombers individual attackers mortifier amongst others the US Embassy heavily restricts the movement of its employees in Mogadishu based on the critical threat environment Pirates are also active in the waters of the Horn of Africa especially in international waters near Somalia interestingly enough
As far as Somalia goes there is a large Somali population here in Nashville and that includes several Somali restaurants and coffee shops I’ve heard the cuisine is actually amazing so could be something to go and check out but mg issue the capital of Somalia you probably want to stay away from there
Right now and finally there are two countries on the do not travel list in the Americas and both of these actually have large immigrant populations all across America those two countries are Haiti and Venezuela so for Haiti there’s a threat of kidnapping crime civil unrest and poor healthc care
Infrastructure in July of 2023 the state department ordered the departure of family members of US government employees all non-emergency US government employees as well US citizens in Haiti have been instructed to depart as soon as possible by commercial or other privately available transportation and in light of the current security
Situation and infrastructure challenges US citizens wishing to depart Porter Prince should monitor the local news and only do so when considered safe I’ve been following a lot of the news in Haiti recent having met quite a few people from there actually and uh on YouTube there’s some great videos of
Some guys that are going down there interviewing some people on the ground and actually really trying to understand what happened in this country it’s a country that shares the island of Espanola with the Dominican Republic and it’s like chalk and cheese now Haiti and Dominican Republic two very different countries Dominican Republic is
Certainly starting to progress economically Haiti is going completely backwards unfortunate history following on from both French and American colonialism it was forced at one point to pay 40% of its total government revenue back to the French which severely hampered its economic growth and I would argue it’s probably a
Country that never s a chance to succeed based on this and lastly we have a look at Venezuela again it’s a country that I have met and interacted with many of its citizens Venezuela really is seen as a hot spot here in this part of the world in 2019 the state department announced
The withdrawal of diplomatic Personnel from the US Embassy in Caracus all Consular Services routine and emergency remain suspended until further notice the US government has limited ability to provide emergency services to any of its citizens in Venezuela and anyone there that requires cons Services should try
To leave the country as soon as safely possible and contact a US Embassy or Consulate in another country so that is the current list as of February the 1st 2024 of places where there are do not travel advisories that are issued by the US state department now in Australia the
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs does a very similar thing issues warnings for around the world and I know at times the US has actually made it onto Australia’s list and a quick look on the Australian smart traveler website actually shows 22 different countries so the Australian government have also
Listed Lebanon and Chad in Africa as places where you do not want to travel right now when you look at what the department of Foreign Affairs has to say about the us though it’s actually quite amusing to a point it’s stating uh they do have some concerns about safety in
The US daating to avoid areas where demonstrations and protests are occurring due to potential for unrest and violence uh violent crime is more common than what it is in Australia particularly gun crime then they go on to mention that the medical costs in the US are extremely high you may need to
Pay Upfront for medical assistance so ensure you have comprehensive travel insurance I can certainly agree with some of those things there some of the local laws in the US are obviously a little bit different as well so they go on to talk about that for the most part
No it looks like the US is currently in the clear as far as travel advice from Australia so that wraps up today’s episode we’ve had a look at the history of the US and why America is the global superpower that it is looking at its long and illustrious history over 200
Years and also had a look at where we should not be traveling to in 2024 now of course if you do happen to get on a plane or a boat and you end up in the Central African Republic or you know maybe you’re in Bina Faso feel free to
Send me an email and let me know what it’s like I would love to hear your travel stories thanks for joining us again on from Down Under to down south stay safe and we’ll catch you next Time
How did the United States become a global superpower? Where should you avoid travelling to in the world this year? We take a look at the US State Departments Do Not Travel list and review a brief history of the US and how in 200 years it became the leading geopolitical nation on the planet.