Doesn't matter. If that was the case the British empire would have been significantly smaller. They did not directly rule every (as in most) nations. Also the Mayan empire would have never been a empire if that's how it worked. Its pretty evident that the U.S. did have a empire. If you don't want to believe that, that's fine by me. Youre right, the US never ruled Hawaii, Cuba, California, Panam, or the Philippines. [spoiler]sarcasm[/spoiler]