It used to be a characteristic feature of imperialist powers, that they imposed or encouraged authoritarian regimes abroad while allowing some degree of 'democratic dissent' within their own countries. No more. It now seems that the United States, which openly declares that its aggressive imperialist wars are only to promote freedom and democracy in other parts of the world, is doing its best to suppress the same freedom and democracy within its own borders.

In fact, judging by the latest news coming from the US, the Bush regime seems to have a real problem of confidence, since it apparently does not trust its own people at all. The process that started nearly two years ago (after the 11 September  2001 attacks in New York) has now been further intensified. Essentially the Bush administration is building up the infrastructure of a police state, with almost unlimited powers to spy on, interrogate and arrest American citizens and other residents of the country.

The latest action was taken by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which voted unanimously on 1 May to approve a huge increase in funding for spying activities by the US government. These include confirming the creation of a government-wide 'watch list' of suspected 'terrorists', defined so broadly that virtually any immigrant from the Middle East or a predominantly Islamic country, and virtually any left-wing political opponent of American imperialism, could fall under suspicion.

Already, the amount spent by the US government to fund the CIA, the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Defense Intelligence Agency and other spy programmes is estimated to be more than $35 billion every year. This is likely to increase even further, making it one of the largest items in the US government budget.

The US government wants to go even further, by giving the CIA and the Pentagon the same authority to obtain personal information on American citizens that is presently available only to the FBI (which investigates internal crimes). This would allow the intelligence agencies and the military to issue 'national security letters', formal orders to credit card companies, libraries, telecommunications companies and Internet service providers to produce all their records on their customers and users. Observers say that this proposal goes beyond even the practices of the infamous McCarthy witch-hunt of the 1950s, when anyone with even liberal views was systematically targeted and terrorized by the state and its agencies.

Another change is that the database used by these spying agencies has been exempted from the Privacy Act of 1974, which mandates that information can only be entered if proven accurate and relevant. This opens the way to incorporating gossip, slander and rumour in the files that will be used to target suspected 'terrorists' who are then potentially subject to arrest and indefinite detention. Meanwhile, other forms of FBI spying are on the rise, especially bugging and wire-tapping.

In addition, under the pretext of countering so-called 'terrorism', the Bush administration has undermined the rights of those visiting the country for whatever reason. Immigrants and asylum-seekers can be detained without any cause being given, subjected to harsh questioning and interrogation, and even treated brutally, on the ground that all of them are potential terrorists.

The US state is also actively encouraging a change in the social and political climate, to hound those who oppose its policies. Progressive US citizens who have been active in the anti-war movement report an alarming increase in surveillance, combined with frequent death threats and aggressive behaviour on the part of neighbours and local government officials.

Newspapers are increasingly unwilling to publish articles opposing the war or pointing to the human and other costs of the aggression. Schoolteachers are being told to present the US administration's position on the Iraq war, and to avoid trying to be 'balanced'. Across the US, the attempt is to create a mood that is intolerant of any dissent and that uncritically accepts the positions being pushed by the clique that is in charge in Washington, D.C.

What explains this dramatic increase in authoritarian methods of control on the part of the Bush administration? It is unlike the typical behaviour of victorious imperialist power. Instead, it reflects a government that is fundamentally unsure of itself, despite all its bravado; a government that does not trust its own people and needs to exercise very invasive surveillance and control over them.

One reason for the insecurity could be the very strength of the opposition to the war. The anti-war movement in the US before the Iraq aggression was unprecedented and spread across people from all communities and all walks of life. By ignoring it, the Bush government signalled its contempt for public opinion, and hoped that it would be fickle enough to turn around once victory was assured. But the basic concern remains, and with it, the distrust on the part of the government for its own citizens.

There is another reason for the US government to be wary of its citizens.  This is because, even as the Bush administration extends itself in the form of overseas empire, it is cutting back on the basic living conditions of people at home. Basic welfare and social security provisions are being cut, public health programmes are being undermined, and work conditions are deteriorating. At the same time, the number of jobless people continues to increase.

The government seems indifferent to the plight of ordinary people who are facing these worsening material conditions. The most extraordinary measure was the cut in pensions of US war veterans and their widows, right in the middle of the campaign in Iraq. Instead, the Bush administration seems to think that by constantly keeping alive the threat of terrorism, it can keep the people in a state of fear in which they will accept the decline in standards of living and the withdrawal of their democratic rights.

But this is not a very sustainable strategy. It does look as if, just as the US empire is in overstretch abroad, it is also on a collision course at home, and will ultimately confront the wrath not only of the rest of the world but also of its own people.