[wyldfire]

> rather than colonizing the rest of the world like every superpower before it.

I guess the colonialism has eased up in the last half-century or so. But the US definitely did our fair share.

EDIT maybe my fellow USians don't see them that way but they definitely were colonized - Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Guam, American Samoa, Hawaii.

[User23]

I'm given to understand that the Marshall Islands, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico are all free to choose to end their association with the USA anytime they like. What "colonies" does the USA have exactly?

[Dalewyn]

The Compact of Free Association[1] in a nutshell mandates US financial, military, and geopolitical assistance and protections upon the sovereign countries of Palau, Micronesia, and Marshall Islands. These countries are independent of the USA and can end their association with the USA as they deem fit.

Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands are an unincorporated territory[2] of the USA and are sovereign American territory.

Simply put: Puerto Rico, et al. cannot unilaterally end their association with the USA because they are part of the USA.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_of_Free_Association

[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_Stat...