We basically are an Empire. More of a benevolent one.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/040915/countries-use-us-dollar.asp
"More than 65 countries peg their currencies to the U.S. dollar while five U.S. territories and seven sovereign countries use it as their official currency of exchange. The table below provides an overview of the U.S. territories and independent sovereign nations that use the U.S. dollar as their official medium of exchange."
I don't think usage of USD makes those countries dependents. It does make them subject to the US government's inflation, but they can remain politically independent. Venezuela, which is kind of an enemy of the US, has used USD.
I think he means why can't the internal political structure of the United States be reorganized into a top down authority as opposed to how we project influence to foreign nations.
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