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MINNEAPOLIS — Throughout history, some of the world’s most influential empires have also been the most brutal. In turn, their legacy has turned “empire” into a very dirty word, indeed.

The Roman, British, Ottoman, Spanish and Soviet empires come to mind readily. And in school, we learn about the glories of these civilizations, their cultural triumphs and their contributions to the world we live in today. But what’s often left out is the devastating truth that empires are built on the atrocious foundations of sex and migrant slavery, military expansion, land and resource theft, genocide and overall intimidation.

And while history is littered with the atrocities of empires built and toppled, “empire” is certainly not a thing of the past. In fact, today, not only is the United States an empire in every sense of the word, it’s the biggest empire the world has ever seen.

While the look of empire may have changed, empire remains fundamentally the same. Here to talk to me more about how the U.S. empire operates is Abby Martin, the host of a new show that’s taking on the horrific policies of the empire at home and abroad.