In Chapter 5 ("Chanting the New Empire") of Between Babel and Beast, Leithart strings together a summary of the American "small wars" (e.g., the multiple U.S. Marine landings/deployments of the 1800s, the Commercial Wars/Barbary Pirates, and the 19th century "butcher and bolt" South Pacific hostilities), ending the survey with a sobering reflection (partially comprised of a quotation from Boot's Savage Wars): "'No matter how tiny, the navy had little trouble overawing pirates and tribesmen with its vastly superior technology and training. With the navy's help, U.S. exports soared from $20 million in 1789 to $334 million in 1860. In short, naval captains were doing more or less the same job performed by the World Trade Organization: integrating the world around the principle of free trade.' Freelance imperialism has been a recurring feature of American history" (103).
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