The top five stories of 2015 according to CNN cable news network all have clear links to the empire theme.  The top story is the rise of ISIS, second is gay marriage, third is the Paris attacks, fourth is mass shootings, and fifth is cops killing unarmed blacks.

Rise of Islamic State

            Those of us from the peace community recognize how violence leads to more violence, a vicious circle that needs to be broken.  Thus when world empire America invaded Saddam Hussein's Iraq there was no Al Qaeda in Iraq, but in the ensuing chaos their quickly arose a chapter of Al Qaeda that sought to promote war between the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam.  The Sunni awakening temporarily led to improved relations in Iraq, for which the subsequent "surge" was credited.  President George W. Bush negotiated and signed a treaty of withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2011. This led to the corrupt Maliki regime imposing pro Shia and anti Sunni military and other policies in 2012.  Meanwhile the Al Qaeda forces went into the vacuum in Syria and opposed Assad until they regained enough strength to take advantage of the negative changes in Iraq.  This lead to the birth of ISIS, the Islamic State.  Actually the Islamic State has faced setbacks on the border with Turkey, the capture of Sinjar cutting supply lines from Mosul to Raqqa, and ISIS then telling Jihadis to go to Libya instead by the end of the year. Nevertheless ISIS visibility has risen with more international terror against France, Russia, Lebanon, and America in the last months of the year.

Gay Marriage Supreme Court Decision

            The main theory of empire from right wing sources is that moral decay has led to the current state of America. Tolerating gay marriage is a sign of the moral decay of America. This will lead to other signs of decay such as crime, social decay, and economic decay.  God's wrath is working his will against America for her sins, according to this point of view.  Those who interpret the scripture from the Gospel or Jewish traditions are more likely to see gay marriage as an affirmation of God's love coming from the simple commandment to love thy neighbor as thyself.  

Here is an alternative to the right wing theory of religion and empire: https://www.academia.edu/9979093/JESUS_and_Empire_12-4-05_4_p._2005

Hint: to read this paper for free, you must click on the tiny word "read" in the middle of the bottom of the screen after you go to the above link on academia.edu.

Paris Terror Assaults

            Beginning the year with the assault on Charlie Hebdo, and ending with at least 130 killed in Paris, the terrorists have provoked France to increase its air assault on the Islamic State, even sending its only aircraft carrier.  Because of the prolonged colonial involvement (i.e. "empire") of France and Britain in the Middle East, decades of chickens coming home to roost greet these powers in the form of terrorism.  Specifically, with French planes joining the American coalition and the Russians propping up Assad in Syria, those three countries were specifically targeted for retaliatory terrorist actions.  All three have encountered Muslims in the past and killed them in large numbers in the name of power politics.            

Mass Shootings

Mass shootings of four or more individuals totaled 355 late in the year, but many were domestic family disputes.  President Obama has made up to twelve statements about mass shootings, mostly in his second term.  Research shows that five of the G7 economic powers show crime and murder rates proportional to their long term military spending levels.  Using prolonged high levels of military spending as an indicator of empire shows that crime is a function of empire.  More specifically, the San Bernadino massacre of 14 people is an example of home-grown terrorism as Westerners are portrayed as Crusaders attacking Moslems in Arabic countries.  Hence ISIS recruits volunteers based on a "war of civilizations" concept in opposition to the American empire. Mass shootings, whether internationally or domestically provoked, represent a reaction to empire or a consequence of empire.

See details in these papers:

https://www.academia.edu/4862977/CRIME_and_the_Military_1989-1999_3p._1999

Hint: to read this paper for free, you must click on the tiny word "read" in the middle of the bottom of the screen after you go to the above link on academia.edu.

Cops Killing Unarmed Blacks

The nature of our police forces have changed over the decades to include tactics heretofore reserved for our overseas forces.  Modern "shoot first and ask questions later" tactics show an adversarial indifference to the civilian communities police are meant to serve.  This strongly resembles the occupational tactics of our overseas armed forces.  Divisive politics domestically resemble the unconditional surrender tactics America has followed since World War Two.  Once again the domestic and international scenes are confused.

This paper was written and published in the week after Ferguson shooting of Michael Brown:

https://www.academia.edu/9028202/MILITARIZED_TERROR_POLICING_2_p._August_17_2014

This second paper was written and published in the week after the grand jury refused to indict the policeman who shot unarmed Michael Brown:

https://www.academia.edu/12824537/Ferguson_Jury_Mistakes_list_of_10_2014

Summary

As America devolves into the de-industrialized, crime ridden, controlled politics of empire, the ugly side of the news remains ascendant in CNN's five leading stories of the year 2015.  American economists stubbornly cling to the notion that military spending has short term stimulative economic characteristics but is a long term hindrance to economics.  This "moon walking" theory is as empirically wrong as it is absurd.  Clear thinking and documentation can lead us out of this muddle, but those who benefit from the money are apparently entrenched.

Here is a more detailed power point about the stages of empire in the American situation:

https://www.academia.edu/5415354/STAGES_of_EMPIRE_Twelve._15_ppt._3_p._2007

Hint: to read this paper for free, you must click on the tiny word "read" in the middle of the bottom of the screen after you go to the above link on academia.edu.