This guy’s point is that we were designed based on the early Roman Republic but our government does not resemble the later Roman Empire. His concern was fear-mongering in the media/left complex regarding Trump.
Of course, we DO resemble the Roman Empire from the standpoint of the cultural rot that will likely be our undoing in the long run. But he does not address that angle:
He has some interesting thoughts. Ferguson is such a neocon, so comfortable with war and authoritarian govt, that I always take what he says as a historian with a grain of salt.
In many ways, the US is very much like the late-stage Roman Empire, ruled by its Praetorian Guard since 1963 to a large extent…and not functionally a republic except at the edges (people keep voting for govt to reduce spending and against war and the exact opposite is what happens).
All have been right to be worried about devolving into Empire, for witness: The Roman Republic had many checks and balances built into it, but the inherent corrupting nature of government over-came them all.
Thanks, J. Sobran. Our constitutional republic is hanging on by a thread– that is certain. Are we an empire? Yes and no. As you suggest, we have the Praetorian Guard element. We have some overseas interests we control, directly or indirectly, although not as overtly as your typical empire. We certainly have some significant elements of socialism and fascism with high levels of centralized authority.
I suspect our overseas de facto “empire” is declining with regard to influence. Our system is “mixed” overall, at least in my opinion.
“We have some overseas interests we control, directly or indirectly, although not as overtly as your typical empire.”
700 military bases strewn worldwide. Hundreds of thousands of troops in foreign countries. The US ruling class feels entitled to tell Iran what kind of weapons they can have and the bomb the bejesus out of them with impunity. They feel entitled to spew hundreds of billions of taxpayers’ dollars over Ukraine, Israel, Jordan, Egypt for purposes about as remote from the interest of US taxpayers as they could possibly be. They feel entitled to tell India who it can trade with (even as Europe is buying Russian nat gas and the US is buying Russian uranium). The US is an international bully, even more so under Trump. The US has the spirit of empire. And it has since the Spanish- American war, which lead to the US killing 220,000 Phillapinos to subdue that colony.
I don’t disagree, J. Sobran. It is just a bit different than owning and directly controlling all that territory (except for the bases, of course).
Triad, it IS different in terms of out-right occupation of territory (though would the US stand for 70,000 German troops occupying a base in the US?). But US tentacles are quite spread over the world. In fact one of the greatest similarities of the US to the Roman Empire (and most failing empires) is the military over-extension that will be critical to eventual bankruptcy.
Other similarities to Rome are debauchment of the money and general over-expansion of govt with the injustice and corruption that go hand-in-hand with that.
You are right, J. Sobran.
The foreign nations that have our US bases in some cases have benefited from our protection at little cost, so there has not been much of a fuss made as far as I know in many cases.
There are definitely some trappings of empire.
J. Sobran and TC.. You are both correct. The USA has a little of the outward signs of empire but I believe we have the foundations in place and the spirit to keep us from falling to those evil forces that are nibbling at our edges .
I hope so, Fred.