Ok, first I would set up a puppet leader and have that leader suck up to the unintelligent, insecure and disenfranchised populous. They would say, "Hey, now there's a leader I could have a beer with." Then I would set up a group to focus the idiot population's insecurity and hatred on, a group that is clearly different from 'US', this group would ideally occupy an area with vast resource wealth and little military strength. I would then get my puppet to point at that group and say, "Those people are to blame for all our woe's, they threaten our security." When the 'common folk' are whipped into a pretty good frenzy, I would launch a war against these new enemies, while slowly eroding my own people's freedoms in the name of NATIONAL SECURITY!!! Any dissenters in my nation would be called traitors, by the patriotic media agencies which by this time I control. As my mighty military forces sweep across the region I would spew propaganda proclaiming how much better the people of that region are now, and how they are welcoming our glorious liberating forces. As nation after nation falls to my military or allies itself with me I will have my old puppet replaced with a new gentler puppet who will be both 'wise' and 'controversial'. He will preach change and new economic plans, leading to further consolidation of the financial institutions and corporations, placing them under my power.....wait...what...DAMN YOU USA YOU STOLE MY MASTER PLAN!!!!!!!
Oh well, I guess I'll just build Skynet or something then.