Part of the imperialistic mentality is a narcissistic desire to see your own image reflected back at you from every global and historical surface. And when you don’t see the reflection, to assume the worst—to believe you must intervene in defence of “universal” (imperial) values.

Contemporary retrospective anti-imperialism focuses on the territory- and resource-grabbing aspect of Empire, which is of course part of it. But there’s less emphasis on the religious and humanitarian aspects—spreading universal values as a moral necessity; “saving souls.”

This form of moralised, religiously sanctioned empire seeks total absorption. It wants to reproduce itself globally; to remake the globe in its image.

The “empire of narcissism” perceives itself as the most morally advanced version of humanity in existence. Its task is to solemnly raise the rest of the world to its level. “Doing the work” in this way it sincerely believes is altruistic—for “their” benefit, not ours.

Everywhere this empire goes, it looks for and seeks to appoint doubles, surrogates, and proxies to perform imperial duties on local soil. It recruits and remakes local elites to do this work, equating “absorption” with civilisation and moral uplift.

When it gazes on a territory or a people that doesn’t reflect this rosy picture back at it—well, that’s “darkness, barbarity, backwardness, evil.” It has, it tells itself, a sacred duty to intervene there in service of humanity. Imposing its values on them will put things right.