In praise of American empire

Christian Science Monitor ^ | 04/26/02 | Dinesh D'Souza

[Forgiven_Sinner]

Dinesh seems to get it. Will anyone else who reads this article?

[Dixie republican]

Bravo! Somebody gets it! The U.S. gets slammed constantly becasue we have a higher standard. Islamists make suicide deals; Americans are hell bent to bring everyman back alive. We have defeated a kamikaze culture befroe. Have no doubt, we shall defeat it again.

[smith288]

em·pire  Pronunciation Key  (mpr)
n.

1. 1. A political unit having an extensive territory or comprising a number of territories or nations and ruled by a single supreme authority.
   2. The territory included in such a unit.
2. An extensive enterprise under a unified authority: a publishing empire.
3. Imperial or imperialistic sovereignty, domination, or control: “There is a growing sense that the course of empire is shifting toward the... Asians” (James Traub).

Empire isnt a correct term regardless how good the article about Americas intentions.

[SouthernFreebird]

saving

[elephantlips]

I have said these words before but they bear repeating: The United States is the only one of its kind. It is the biggest kid on the block. When the USA sits in the sand box, it occupys the whole thing. When we take a commercial enterprise into another country, we are either the largest business or nearly so. Competitively, we are overbearing and this engenders ill will towards our country. This has and will eventually have, repercussions of a disastrous nature and there is nothing we can do to change it. If it were possible for the USA to move to another planet, this one would self-destruct with in-fighting and jockying for leadership position. A strong moral compass is essential for the USA but even that won't stop the inevitable.

[ex-snook]

So whatever happened to all the previous Empires?

[Mr. Thorne]

They expanded until they met something that could stop them. That is the nature of Empire, as a paradigm.

The stopping force may be geographic (Rome), or military (Autro-Hungary), but the nature of Empire is to expand until stopped.

[dead]

Mars awaits.

[egarvue]

As empires go, we're not doing too bad, timewise...

3500-2340 BC: Sumerian Civilization = 1160 years
2340-1900 BC: Akkadian Empire = 440 years
1900-1100 BC: Babylonian Empire = 800 years
1100-612 BC: Assyrian Empire = 488 years
27 BC- AD 312: The Roman Empire = 339 years
AD 312-1453 The Byzantine Empire = 1141 years
1350-1918: Ottoman Empire = 568 years
1368-1644: Ming dynasty = 276 years
300-1300: Mayan civilization = 1100 years

Looking at most of these cases, and seeing that our American civilization is only 226 years old, I'd say we have a little ways to go before our empire crumbles.

[Mr. Thorne]

Oh, I don't deny the "internal conflct" bit. But you also need a strong enough exterior force to bring it down. The Germanic tribes, in Rome's case.

Also, geography did play a part. Logistically, aid, support, and reinforcement became a problem as the empire expanded. An anecdotal reference can be found in a poem by Kipling, I forget the title, but it is the lament of a centurion as to his being recalled to a Home he has never seen.

Similar situation with the Mongols.

Also, as I recall, Rome began as a republic herself.

As to collapse, well, the collapse of any system is practically inevitable. Only Utopias last forever, and no one's made one yet.

As a previous poster pointed out, we're not doing bad as far as longevity goes. If we run true to form and become empire-in-fact at some point in the future, there's probably another century or two after that, barring global disaster of one sort or another.

[Mr. Thorne]

Sign me up, man.

[Alexandre]

Do not forget Napoleon's Empire and Hitler's Reich. They were among the latest to form, probably the most violent - and the fastest to go.

[gcruse]

Thank you. People making up their own definitions for words, then applying them to others is pathetic.

[Clemenza]

Amen. We fought to get away from a degenerate Empire (the UK). Neo-Imperialists like Dinesh, Kristol and Podhoretz should be deported to London at once.

[smith288]

We dont try to control anyone... the article indicates just the opposite...we arent in it for land or control over any one people...unless you cheap shot us...then your crap out of luck....

I consider us a powerful nation, nothing more, nothing less.