ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the invasiveness of geopolitical interventions and the fragility of popular sovereignty in the shadow of US power. It suggested that there are five concepts that are useful in considering the meaning of geopolitical interventions: desire, political will, capacities, justification and resistance. The geopolitics of Western interventionism can be highlighted as exemplifying the longevity of an invasive logic. Self-determination, self-government and popular sovereignty all express a deeply anchored sense of independence and autonomy, and as such come into conflict with the ubiquitous presence of US imperial power. When imperial power is being challenged, there is normally at the same time a trend towards the amplification of popular – democratic demands. The chapter concludes by stressing the point that the geopolitics of the imperial is most appropriately looked at as a potentially creative analytical node that can generate many new insights.
