The United States has the world in its grip through various economic, military and educational measures.
It has spuriously assumed the position of the protector of the free world.
The US uses its immense military power and defence industries to control nations by making them dependent on its military hardware and software.
It has no qualms about undertaking clandestine operations or direct military interventions to overthrow elected regimes that dare challenge its position of universal jurisdiction.
The Russians aside, the Americans have given themselves carte blanche in military engagements. Its overwhelming nuclear arsenal acts as a deterrent to those nations with intentions to challenge its global superiority.
To pursue its agenda, it has established military bases in Europe, Asia,the Middle East and South Pacific islands.
An indirect aspect of extending military dominance is through education and training of key military personnel from developing and developed countries.
And these personnel who would later assume top military positions in their respective countries would be favourably disposed to the US in asset procurement and other forms of collaboration.
The US cultivates such foreign assets to further strengthen its grip and networking and even subservience among these mostly Asian and Middle Eastern countries as well as some South American countries.
Countries buying military ordnance are directly drawn into the US military sphere of influence as it controls maintenance and parts replacement and even deployment of assets.
However, it does not sell the latest military hardware to these countries, only earlier models or even reconditioned ones, while some countries with a low defence budget get weapons that are about to be phased out or are outdated.
A significant aspect of its global dominance and jurisdiction is its economic power.
The US employs its vast economic resources to dominate the world economy.
It imposes economic sanctions aided by its allies on recalcitrant countries that challenge or threaten its universal jurisdiction.
Iran, which the US deems as a rogue nation that poses a threat to its supremacy in the Middle East,has borne the brunt of these sanctions.
China faced its ‘wrath’ when the US viewed it as an upstart challenging its technological prowess as in the case of the Huawei episode.
The Americans activated economic measures, imposing tariffs on Chinese imports into the US and banning the sale of US technology to Huawei.The latter move was reversed when the US realised such an action would affect it negatively.
And in the Middle East, it imposed sanctions on Iran after pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal.
It has beefed up its military forces in the region by sending aircraft carriers and basing a squadron of Stealth aircraft in Qatar as well as increasing combat personnel.
This is an attempt to bring Iran to its knees and to control the oil resources.
The opposition and angst against Iran became more critical when it decided to drop the dollar in favour of the euro in commercial trading.
The US has been using its currency as a weapon to assert supremacy in controlling wayward countries.
The dollar has become a powerful tool and deterrent as trading and banking is mostly conducted in US dollars.
Its outreach is awesome for a country will not be able to survive without using the dollar.
In addition,the US also controls a host of financial institutions.
US banks through the Federal Treasury dictate the banking industry. Its major banks have established roots and entwined themselves in the trade and commerce of the respective countries.
One needs US banks to purchase dollars and to trade internationally. It is impossible to break the dollar’s grip on almost all international transactions.
And the US will suppress any country that challenges the dominance of the dollar. It has the funds, network and media to weaken any country’s currency, thus causing economic chaos and political instability.
And through these agencies they could manipulate the ratings to suit their agenda.
The US uses its military and economic clout to assert global supremacy and has strung a web that controls the mechanism of world commerce, military procurement, educational processes and a highly efficient system of patronage through a variety of aid programmes and propaganda.
But the future may bring a different scenario with the emergence of China as an economic and military superpower as well as other emerging nations that may not align themselves with the US hegemonic agenda.
Nevertheless, the US will continue to employ its military and economic arsenals to undermine those challenging its supremacy.
The writer is a lecturer at the Centre for Policy Research and International Studies,Universiti Sains Malaysia.