Kurt,
The etymology of empire (n.) is early 14c., from Old French
empire "rule, authority, kingdom, imperial rule" (11c.), from Latin
imperium "a rule, a command; authority, control, power; supreme power, sole dominion; military authority; a dominion, realm," from
imperare "to command," from assimilated form of
in- "in" (see
in- (2)) +
parare "to order, prepare"
So in what way is the Russian Federation an 'empire'?
On the other hand the United States has a military budget larger than the next 14 highest spending states in the World, RF included, and claims to be the sole global superpower. And, the US Administration does seek to create a New World Order, so I would say that if you are looking for an imperial capital, look to Washington DC, ortherwise known as 'The Core'. :-)
For example here is what the blog banner says on NAVY LIVE
"Right
now your Navy is 100 percent on watch around the globe helping to
preserve the American way of life. Whether it be operating and training
off the coast of Spain or forward deployed to the Arabian Gulf, the
flexibility and presence provided by our U.S. naval forces provides
national leaders with great options for protecting and maintaining our
national security and interests around the world."
The Navy of the Russian Federation doesn't make these claims or objectives. Perhaps because they are either silly, or, if one happens to live in the other 93.4% of the World, a cause for worry. Claims like these weren't made since "Britannia rules the waves".
And, I'm not sure what point you were making in the second sentence in your post.
Greg