Some would say that Rome had extended her reach beyond that which she could successfully manage.That her vast holdings required ever more resources and goods to maintain.
Umm..How many bases do we currently have around the world?
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Uncle Black, I do not know how many we have but I've been to many of them.
On the good side, it gave me the oppurtunity to see the world. Also, I received a first hand view of how we treat others in their own country. I was in the Air Force and could fly to many places in the world... for free.
We (USA) have a word called "defense". We also have words like explotation and terrorist. Well... I think those words have new meanings... depending on where a person is standing. Nuff said.
In order to grab natural resources you have to have the gun on the ground and the negotiator in the buildings. Otherwise there would be no reason for a foreigner to be listened to.
The US has been managing/mis-managing countries and their politics for decades. The military is to let the people plotting a coup attempt that they won't win.
probably the main reason for the collapse of the Second Roman Empire was not overextension, but the bubonic plague in the sixth century. Plague decimated the population, leaving far less soldiers for fighting and far less tax payers.
I think we share more political and moral/cultural traits with Rome than we do military or empiracle traits.
While we truly meddle and influence, it is not quite the same as viceroys and governors of old. The supply lines and military communication issues allowed Rome's internal decay to leave armies stranded and powerless.
We may be a lot of things but our military might remains dangerous.
I used to think the same thing, but my thoughts on this are changing. Correct me if I'm wrong, but i'm looking at the fact that on the ground in a foreign country, guerrilla warfare seems to be able to hold back even Americas military might. I say this in lieu of the events in Afghanistan and Iraq. where for all the military might, the so called "green zone' seems to be the only really safe place.
Our defense budget and current two wars are bringing this country down to it's financial knees. We may be in the final stage of imperialism, like the Soviet Union fell from end stage communism.
It's not just Rome... most empires collapse because they expand to far to protect their borders. At this point, we can't think about the geographic borders, but more the moral and economic borders. Whenever we go peacekeeing, we make more enemies. Countries are no longer deluded into thinking we will be their financial partner forever, and corporations are international in makeup and only national in name. Greed and self-indulgence is making "The US" more a brand name than a unified body of people.
@ Dwane - Yeah... the common causes for the fall of empires seem to be almost universal.
"Rome" was the only Western empire with which most people can relate.
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