For me, empire is a negative concept because it means ruling over, or subjugating, outside states and peoples. Throughout history, empires have enslaved colonized peoples, destroyed towns and villages, and abolished the customs and local identities of peoples. They have executed immense emotional and physical damage for the sake of wealth and power. The effects of empire are present today in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where the world's problems seem to be in the greatest concentration. War, hunger, unsanitary conditions, a deficit of educational opportunities, and insufficient medical care in these areas seem to have been the result of imperial subjugation.