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War….what is it good for? Well for a few, it is good for a lot of profit.

“America…goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy,” 

-John Adams

“The sinews of war are infinite money.” 

-Cicero

Plato had it right when he said “All wars are fought for the sake of getting money.”  War is universally decried but seldom avoided.  Politicians love to speak of universal brotherhood but few can stave off the siren song of the profits and power that comes from waging war.  Rome excelled at war and conquest, while the US has had a more complicated relationship.  We will explore both.

The Roman Evolution

In the early days of the Roman Republic, the military functioned as a citizen-militia. Service was tied to property ownership, requiring citizens to supply their own armor and weapons to defend the state. Structured around the seasonal levy (dilectus), this early system fostered a strong civic ethos, as soldiers fought for their own land and constitutional representation. However, as Rome expanded across the Mediterranean, the traditional militia model began to strain under the weight of long campaigns abroad. 

 The turning point came in the late 2nd century BCE with the Marian Reforms, which abolished property requirements and opened the ranks to the landless poor (capite censi). This transformation shifted the military from an amateur civic force into a professional, standing army. However, because the Roman Senate failed to create a state-funded pension system, soldiers became entirely dependent on their individual generals for loot and post-service land allocations. This dynamic sowed the seeds of deep institutional corruption, as military command became a lucrative vehicle for personal ambition. Generals began utilizing their armies not as instruments of the Republic, but as private political instruments. 

Crassus: The Anti- Cincinnatus

 By the mid-1st century BCE, the triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus exemplified how wealth and military power could interlock to subvert the Republic. Crassus used his immense fortune—much of it acquired through corrupt land speculation and extortion—to field personal legions, most notably during the suppression of the Spartacus slave revolt. For Crassus and his contemporary rival Julius Caesar, the military was a vehicle to gain leverage over the Senate. 

Commanding legions offered access to provincial plunder, which in turn financed election bribes (ambitus) in Rome. The ultimate decay of republican military norms culminated in civil wars, as soldiers routinely chose loyalty to a generous commander over allegiance to the state.  To stabilize this dangerous dynamic, Augustus established the Principate, creating a permanent, state-paid standing army directly loyal to the Emperor. While this initially professionalized command structures and curbed warlordism, corruption adapted to the imperial system. The Praetorian Guard, established as the Emperor’s personal security force, quickly realized its position as the ultimate kingmaker. Over time, securing the army’s favor required massive financial bribes (donativa). This extortion reached its peak during the Crisis of the Third Century, most notoriously in 193 CE when the Praetorian Guard assassinated the emperor and auctioned off the Roman Empire to the highest bidder, Didius Julianus. 

 By the Late Empire, the military apparatus had deteriorated further under systemic corruption and fiscal strain. Local elites frequently bribed imperial assessors to exempt their estate workers from conscription, forcing the army to rely increasingly on foreign “barbarian” mercenaries (foederati) who lacked ideological ties to Rome. Meanwhile, quartermasters and military officers routinely skimmed funds intended for rations, equipment, and payroll, resulting in under-supplied and demoralized troops. The late Roman legion was no longer the disciplined citizen-soldiery that had conquered the Mediterranean, but a bloated, bureaucratic force crippled by internal graft and shifting loyalties.  

Ultimately, the evolution of the Roman military reflects a transition from civic duty, think Cincinnatus,  to systemic exploitation. As the structural link between the soldier and the state dissolved, military power became a commodity bought, sold, and leveraged by ambitious generals, corrupt guards, and desperate emperors. Corruption did not merely accompany the transformation of the Roman army; it actively accelerated the erosion of constitutional order and compromised the defensive integrity of the empire itself.

The American Ideal…the American Reality

Early American foreign and military policy could best be characterized by this quote from a famous speech from John Quincy Adams. “She goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all”.  After all, the American project was in its nascent days and it really couldn’t project much power abroad anyways. It was focused on home.  

Throughout the 19th Century the country was still focused at home and the Western land that was waiting to be claimed as part of “Manifest Destiny’.  Military activity was limited to support these aims through things like the Mexican-American war, the internal Civil War, and the many skirmishes with Native Americans defending their ancestral homelands. The Monroe Doctrine was in place but hardly enforced. 

Things would change drastically in the 20th Century.  Europe’s gradual decline was accelerated by WWI and the US was the ascendent power.  The Spanish American War proved that the US could exert power and propaganda as well as the old world and business interests were fast seeing that the military could be a useful tool to further their interests.

Even before WWII started people were starting to notice the evolution of the Military. Most notable among them was one of America’s most decorated soldiers, Smedley Butler. As one of the most respected and successful military figures he was approached to lead a coup as part of a plot to overthrow the

Mr. Butler

Roosevelt Administration. Butler, a man of superb character, rebuffed the offer and alerted the authorities.  He had served long enough to be jaded to the reality of war and he coined this famous quote.

“War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.”

Shortly after this the US would be dragged into WWII.  Even though the US mainland was never really threatened this is arguably the most justified war we have fought.  Ultimately the US entrance to the war turned the tide and eventually Europe was liberated and Japan vanquished.  America was now on top and its only competition was with the USSR over who could best shape the world for the rest of the century.

As the Cold War launched, the US pursued soft power, quiet wars, and espionage to counter Soviet threats. The struggle of Capitalism vs. Communism was the perfect justification and Russia was an easy bogeyman to keep defense spending high.  This led one-time War hero and later President Dwight D Eisenhower to give his famous Military Industrial Complex speech that provided quotes like this.

“We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.”

Those wise words were ultimately unheaded and the military became one of the biggest pieces of what has been affectionately known as the “blob”. In its narrowest definition, it applies to how US Foreign policy is applied but recently it has merged with the notion of a permanent deep state that encapsulates the permanent bureaucracy that partners with big business interests to shape policy and influence politicians. 

Its reach is wide and could include entities like Rand Corporation, Deloitte, the State Department, DoD, and other organizations that interface with Defence contractors like Lockheed Martin. Wherever the levers of money can be controlled you can expect private interests and their attending government counterparts to be nearby exerting their influence.

Now we find ourselves $40 trillion in debt in no small part due to wars in places like in Iraq and an over extension of our military presence.  Entire industries are solely dependent on the government coffers and they have every incentive to ensure that Uncle Sam keeps doling out money on F-35’s, pointless studies, and coercive military aid. Smedley was right, war is a racket.

War Is Not Glorious, It is Big Business

From Ancient Rome to contemporary America, military forces have undergone a fundamental shift: they stopped protecting the republic and started serving the elite. Early armies were built on invested citizen-soldiers fighting for home and principle. Today, military power has been outsourced to advance economic conquest rather than actual defense. The high-minded patriotic rhetoric surrounding modern warfare is little more than a thin veneer, designed to trick a trusting public into believing elite agendas serve the common good.

 

Additional resources:

  • Great video detailing the life of Smedley Butler- link
  • How Rome used conquest to grow its wealth- link
  • Video comparing Roman and US military ranks- link

 

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Can America’s moment outshine Rome’s?

“To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false pretenses, they [the Romans] call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.”

– Tacitus, Agricola

 

“What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children–not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women–not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.” 

– John F. Kennedy

 

Throughout the course of history there occasionally emerges a power so strong that it is able to dictate and enforce the rules of the game to everyone around them.  Political historians call this power a hegemon and there have been a few that have dominated our history books-  Rome, Spain, England, America.

Naturally we will focus the essay on Rome and America.  First we will outline how they achieved their position as the dominant player.  Next we will discuss how they were able to maintain this dominance.  Finally, we will list some of the key factors that led to Rome’s decline and that can potentially undermine the Pax Americana.  

Before we track the trajectories of these two great empires let’s spend a moment to outline the pillars of their control.  These are the items that enable them to wield their power.  They are military control, economic power, infrastructure networks, common currency and trade networks, and finally cultural projection.   Let’s dive in a little deeper.

Components of Control for the Hegemon

Military Power

A hegemon’s power ultimately rests on its ability to enforce order and deter rivals through undisputed military overmatch. This control is not merely about winning wars, but about maintaining a continuous, credible capacity for global or regional power projection that renders rebellion or competition futile. By establishing a security umbrella over its sphere of influence, the hegemon suppresses regional conflicts that could disrupt the broader system. In Roman times the multidisciplinary effectiveness of the legion was enough to maintain borders and quell any possible incursions from barbarians.  In modern times alliances like NATO ensured that European interests were aligned with America and that Russian/Soviet influence was limited.

Economic Power

Economic power serves as both the engine and the bank account of hegemonic dominance. The hegemon must possess a massive, technologically advanced domestic economy that allows it to dictate the rules of global finance, fund its military apparatus, and leverage access to its consumer markets as a geopolitical tool. By controlling industrial output, capital flows, and international lending institutions, the hegemon creates a system where other nations become structurally dependent on its economic health.  Rome’s control of key agricultural outputs and its economic system helped it become the platform for trade and commerce.  The US has cultivated an environment of innovation and risk taking that has enabled it to dominate critical industries.

Infrastructure Networks

Physical and digital infrastructure networks form the vascular system of an empire, anchoring its administrative and logistical control. A hegemon must build and maintain the pathways that connect the periphery to the core. These networks ensure that military forces can deploy rapidly to extinguish threats and that commercial logistics remain uninterrupted. Protecting these channels is a critical requirement for power retention because infrastructure defines the limits of power projection.  The Roman road network is the best example from antiquity.  In modern times the US dominates physical (sea lanes to fiber optic cable) and monetary (ranging from capital markets to legal frameworks) infrastructure.

Common Currency and Trade Networks

By establishing a trusted reserve currency and structuring global trade networks around its own market preferences, a hegemon drastically lowers transaction costs and locks other nations into its orbit. When the hegemon’s currency becomes the default medium of exchange for vital commodities, it gains the unique privilege of exporting its inflation, running structural deficits, and utilizing financial sanctions to isolate rogue actors without firing a shot. Maintaining this financial architecture is essential for preserving power. It ensures that international trade inherently benefits the hegemon’s corporate and state interests, transforming global commerce into a self-funding mechanism for the empire’s longevity. During the Pax Romana the Empire dominated the Mediterranean and had trade networks as far away as China and most people used their coinage..  In modern times the US controls the Global financial system from trade agreements to organizations like the World Bank and everyone trades in dollars.

Cultural Projection

Coercion can build an empire, but cultural projection—or “soft power”—is what makes it sustainable by securing the ideological buy-in of both elites and foreign publics. When a hegemon successfully exports its values, legal philosophies, language, and consumer lifestyle, it shapes the preferences, desires, and norms of the global community. Retaining this cultural influence is vital for the preservation of power because it minimizes the need for costly military enforcement; when the rest of the world aspires to live, speak, and govern like the hegemon, the costs of maintaining international order drop significantly.  Rome created a culture that facilitated assimilation into the greater whole.  With America tools like international aid and Hollywood were used to project American values globally.

Rome’s Pax Romana

Armed Peace: Military Control and Border Security

At the foundation of the Augustan peace lay the ultimate paradox: the Pax Romana was bought and maintained by the sword. Augustus fundamentally restructured the Roman military, transitioning it from the factional citizen-armies of the late Republic into a permanent, highly professional standing force of 28 legions, supplemented by auxiliary units. Rather than stationing these forces within the interior of the empire—where they could destabilize civilian governance—the legions were deployed permanently along the hostile frontiers (the limes), such as the Rhine, Danube, and Euphrates rivers.  Click here for a nice map on where the legions were stationed throughout the empire.

Their strategic positioning served a dual purpose. Externally, it projected absolute deterrence against migration and foreign incursions. Internally, the strategic absence of active garrisoning in the core provinces minimized the daily visibility of military subjugation, fostering an illusion of civilian normalcy. When internal rebellions did arise—such as the First Jewish-Roman War or the revolt of Boudica—the response was swift, total, and brutal. This balance of total frontier exclusion and overwhelming punitive capability established an absolute monopoly on violence, creating the secure space required for civil infrastructure and commerce to flourish.

The Arteries of Empire: Infrastructure Networks

Physical connectivity was the vital mechanism through which Rome transformed military domination into logistical and economic integration. The construction of the legendary Roman road network, totaling over 80,000 kilometers of paved highways, was initially driven by tactical imperatives. These all-weather roads allowed the legions to march with unprecedented velocity to any point of crisis, effectively multiplying the defensive utility of the standing army. Click here to see how expansive the roman network was or here for how roman roads were constructed.

However, the infrastructure quickly transcended its martial origins. The creation of the Cursus Publicus—the state-sponsored courier and postal system—facilitated near-instantaneous administrative communication between Rome and her distant provincial governors. Furthermore, monumental engineering projects, including stone bridges, deep-water harbors, and standard-setting aqueducts, bound the urban centers of the Mediterranean into a shared technological standard. By altering the landscape, Rome physically demonstrated its mastery over nature, anchoring the permanence of imperial authority in concrete and stone.

Roman roads facilitated commerce

Commercial Integration: Currency and Trade Networks

With security guaranteed by the legions and transit accelerated by the road networks, Rome capitalized on its position to forge a highly integrated Mediterranean market. Central to this economic engine was the enforcement of a common currency. The silver denarius and gold aureus became the undisputed legal tender from the hills of Britannia to the borders of Parthia. This monetary uniformity eliminated the friction of local currency exchanges, lowered transaction costs, and provided a predictable store of value that stimulated large-scale capital investment.

Concurrently, the eradication of piracy by the Roman navy transformed the Mediterranean Sea into Mare Nostrum (“Our Sea”), a maritime superhighway. Huge merchant fleets transported grain from Egypt and North Africa to sustain the massive urban population of Rome, while Spanish olive oil, Gallic wine, and British metals flowed freely across provincial boundaries. The resulting economic interdependence meant that the prosperity of local provincial elites became inextricably linked to the survival of the imperial center, aligning their economic self-interest with Roman political continuity.

Cultural Projection and Romanization

The final and perhaps most durable pillar of the Pax Romana was the sophisticated deployment of cultural soft power, a process frequently conceptualized as Romanization. Rome did not seek to crudely eradicate local identities; rather, it incentivized provincial elites to adopt Roman culture voluntarily. The state extended Roman citizenship strategically, first to loyal Italian allies, then to provincial aristocracy, and eventually to entire municipal communities as a reward for loyalty and administrative integration.

Urbanism served as the primary vector for this cultural projection. Throughout Gaul, Hispania, and North Africa, cities were intentionally built or remodeled on a standardized grid layout, featuring forums, basilicas, theaters, public baths, and amphitheaters. Participating in Roman civic life—enjoying public games, utilizing heated baths, and speaking Latin—became synonymous with high social status and civilization itself. By transforming conquered peoples into stakeholders who took pride in Roman civic identity, the empire minimized the cost of direct coercion. Cultural projection ensured that the Pax Romana was maintained not merely by external force, but through internal consensus.

The American Century

The Pax Americana, characterizing the period of relative macro-stability and economic integration across the Western hemisphere following World War II and expanding globally after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, mirrors the structural hegemony of ancient Rome. Rather than relying on formal territorial annexation, the United States engineered a modern global ecosystem based on institutional frameworks and systemic alignment. By translating the classical pillars of empire into contemporary geopolitical mechanisms, the United States constructed a foundation where international compliance offers clear economic, security, and social rewards, establishing an enduring framework of global order.

Military Control and Power Projection

The American security apparatus has been underwritten by a global network of forward-deployed military bases, formal security alliances, and overwhelming technological superiority. Following 1945, the United States established permanent installations across Western Europe and East Asia, effectively internalizing the defense of key industrial hubs while discouraging regional arms races.

This footprint is formalized through multilateral and bilateral defense pacts—most notably NATO, as well as treaties with Japan, South Korea, and Australia—positioning the United States as the ultimate guarantor of regional security. This security umbrella provides a massive deterrent against state-on-state aggression. By securing the global commons (air, space, and cyberspace) and maintaining a blue-water navy capable of projecting overwhelming force to any corner of the globe within hours, the United States enforces a systemic monopoly on large-scale violence, maintaining international stability from a posture of continuous deterrence.

Infrastructure and Logistics

The primary logistical achievement of American hegemony is the enforcement of freedom of navigation across the world’s oceanic choke points (such as the Straits of Malacca, the Suez Canal, and the Panama Canal). By utilizing its naval assets to patrol these sea lines of communication, the United States guarantees unhindered transit for global commerce, functioning as the vital architect of modern globalization.

In the digital era, this infrastructure shifted toward data networks and financial architecture. The foundational hardware of the global internet—undersea fiber-optic cables, satellite coommunications, and root domain servers—was largely developed, financed, and secured under American auspices. Furthermore, global civilian aviation standards, space tracking systems, and satellite navigation (GPS, originally a U.S. military asset gifted to the global public) serve as the contemporary equivalents of the Roman Cursus Publicus and aqueducts, binding the world into a singular, highly synchronized technological and logistical framework.

Reserve Currency and Global Trade Networks

Just as the silver denarius unified Mediterranean commerce, the United States dollar operates as the undisputed global reserve currency, serving as the financial bedrock of the Pax Americana. Codified initially under the Bretton Woods system in 1944, the dollar became the primary medium for international trade, commodity pricing (such as oil), and foreign exchange reserves. This monetary dominance lowers transaction costs for global markets and grants the United States unparalleled capital mobility and economic leverage.

Concurrently, the United States championed a rules-based international trading system through institutions like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its successor, the World Trade Organization (WTO). By advocating for tariff reductions, open markets, and the protection of intellectual property, the United States incentivized international partners to align their economies with the Western capital market. Because the domestic prosperity of allied nations and rising powers became explicitly dependent on access to American consumers and the stability of the dollar-denominated financial system, global elites found their economic self-interest structurally wedded to the continuity of American political leadership.

Cultural Projection and Liberal Internationalism

The soft power of the American influence is perhaps its most pervasive tool for manufacturing consensus. The United States projects its influence through the universalization of democratic ideals, market capitalism, consumer culture, and digital media. Participating in the modern globalized community is frequently equated with adopting these foundational values.

This cultural projection operates through dual vectors:

  • Institutional Alignment: The creation of multinational forums—such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank—enshrined American legal, political, and economic philosophies into the default architecture of international diplomacy.
  • Mass Consumerism: The global dissemination of American media, technology, music, and corporate standards created a shared global aesthetic.

By making its cultural and political models aspirational, the United States lowers the friction of its global leadership. Foreign populations and political elites internalize aspects of American civic and economic identity, allowing the Pax Americana to be maintained not merely through military or economic coercion, but through a deeply embedded global consensus.

Challenges to Hegeomony

The world is a dynamic place and nothing stays the same for long.  Ultimately the alpha is challenged.  This happened to Rome, and America is seeing its dominance threatened at the present moment.  The decline can be due to external forces or it can happen from within….or it can be a combination of the two.

I won’t spend much time on Rome.  It happened and has been studied ad nauseum.  Most scholars list the items below as key contributors to the decline of the Pax Romana.

  • Succession Crises and Political Instability: The empire lacked a clear, formal system for choosing new rulers. This led to constant power struggles, civil wars, and assassinations as rival generals fought for the throne, culminating in the Crisis of the Third Century.
  • Military Interference in Politics: The Roman military, particularly the Praetorian Guard and regional legions, realized they could make and break emperors. Rulers increasingly focused on bribing or paying off the military to secure their loyalty rather than governing effectively.
  • Economic Strain and Inflation: Maintaining a massive army and defending expansive borders became unsustainably expensive. To cover costs, emperors debased the Roman currency (reducing the precious metal content in coins), which triggered hyperinflation and a collapsing economy.
  • The Antonine Plague: This devastating pandemic (likely smallpox or measles) swept through the empire in the late 2nd century, killing up to a third of the population in some areas. It severely depleted the taxpayer base and decimated the ranks of the Roman military.
  • External Barbarian Pressures: As internal stability fractured, Germanic tribes along the Rhine and Danube rivers, along with the Sasanian Empire in the east, launched increasingly frequent and coordinated invasions, stretching Rome’s defensive forces to their breaking point.
  • Social and Moral Fragmentation: The shared sense of Roman identity and civic duty began to erode. Wealth inequality gaped wider, and citizens in the provinces grew increasingly alienated from a corrupt, heavily taxing central government in Rome.

How Much Longer Will the American Moment Last?

The United States is a different story.  It still has a say in what its future holds.  Since it established the post WW2 global order it has used its economic and military power to shape the world.  Since 9/11 it has seen its prominence slip due to several factors.  We’ll outline those below.

Economic Threats

The American dollar has been the currency of the globe and most deals across the world are settled with the greenback.  At the moment that is still the case but cracks are showing.  Dedollarization is taking place by China and its BRICS partners and there is doubt that a debt laden US can continue to prop up the dollar.  

Also, the US made a conscious effort during the 80’s and 90’s to move away from manufacturing towards a more knowledge based economy.  China gladly filled that void and is challenging the US supremacy in even the most bleeding edge technologies.  The white collar sector that was once so promising is under threat from AI.  While the overall GDP is still strong, the middle class is being carved out and the Government is facing a big challenge in how to assuage the growing anxiety from an ever growing percentage of its citizens.  

Unwillingness to Lead

The steady erosion of American commitment to the very multilateral institutions it built after WW2 marks a profound shift away from the post-war rules-based order. Rather than viewing bodies like the United Nations, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization as instruments of stabilization, Washington increasingly treats them as costly constraints on American sovereignty and leverage. This structural retreat reached a watershed moment during the Trump administration, which aggressively executed a “clearing strategy” designed to trade broad global governance for transactional, unilateral negotiations. 

This has led to the current era of strongmen where people like Trump, Putin, Xi, and Netanyahu rule in a manner that belies global norms in favor of realpolitik.  Rules are being threatened because the strongest players no longer feel constrained by past agreements or worried about any consequences associated with breaking these agreements.

Military Overreach

The U.S. has been the undisputed military power since the end of the Cold War.  To support this it routinely spends more on its military industrial complex than up to the next six countries combined.  This is part of the bargain it struck at the end of WW2 to police the world and secure the world’s trading routes in order to facilitate the great economic expansion that this period experienced.

You could argue that this bargain was exploited by certain business interests and organizations like the CIA.  Soon funds were hidden in black budgets supporting things like regime change or activities that often contradicted the stated American values of democracy and openness. It has culminated in things like the Neoconservative movement that had us chasing war and debt in failed missions in the Middle East at the behest of Israel. 

At present the US does not have the will or remaining money to keep supporting initiatives in places like Iran, Iraq, or Ukraine.  There are too many issues at home to justify military actions that neither strengthen the homeland or support the initial intentions of this military doctrine.  But the interests profiting from the largesse of  military budgets are a powerful lobby and will continue to push to for more dollars in spite of obvious constraints in our budget.

Debt Monster

I wrote about the crippling effects of debt here and it is something that is looming over the current US government. The current debt exceeds $39 trillion dollars which is 122% of the overall GDP. For historical context the US debt was only 106% of GDP at the peak of WW2 and was at 84% during the Financial Crisis 0f 2008. 

There is an open question regarding how sustainable this is and how long it can last before creditors come calling.  At present there is no real effort by Congress (Including both parties) to rein in spending and the debt continues to grow. 

Political Polarization

There’s a quaint tale from the Reagan days about how he could often reach across the aisle to people like Tip O’Neill to get legislation passed. Often it was imperfect but it was directionally good and a bill built on compromise was often better than no bill at all.

It felt like things changed with Clinton and Gingrich in the 90’s.  The opposition between the two led to the government shutdowns of 1995. The divides were accelerated by the mainstream adoption of cable news like CNN and Fox.  There appeared to be a change in incentives and politicians focused more on shouting to their bases than dealing with the other side.  The resulting gridlock has stymied any meaningful attempt to address our growing problems and anything that does get passed is usually done at the behest and dollars of the special interests that exert excessive control over both parties. (Look into Citizens United)

Nadir of Hollywood and Cultural Cachet

During the late days of the Cold War you’d hear stories of people behind the Iron Curtain smuggling jeans and rock and roll to their people. The soft power generated by programs like Radio Free Europe and Hollywood writ large carried just as much weight as an aircraft carrier laden with F-16’s. It didn’t hurt that you had the CIA behind the scenes pushing the American narrative via programs like Operation Mockingbird.

MJ: Embodiment of American cultural power

Whether it was complacency or lack of creativity the US doesn’t have the same cultural weight as it once did. Apart from someone like Taylor Swift there are very few successors to the mantle once shouldered by icons like Elvis, Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, or Madonna.  Most new cultural output is seen as derivative or driven by profit and most people agree that places like Korea are putting out better pop culture.

Where does that leave us?

Rome still managed to survive around 300 years after the conclusion of its Pax Romana and the legacy carried even further through the Byzantine Empire.  America has shown its resiliency many times so it is folly to count it out.  All you need to do is look at some of the literature that came out of the stagflation days of the 1970’s.  

One could spend a few minutes observing the media coverage of America right now and conclude that it is in terminal decline. They wouldn’t be wrong but there is a much more complicated picture to observe.  America has evolved and recreated itself unlike any other people in history and one can hope and expect that it can figure a way out of its current morass.  Fingers crossed.

 

Are we still the shining city on the hill?

 

Additional Resources:

  • Article outlining how Rome thrived during the Pax Romana- link
  • Interesting article from 2006 offering a critique of the Neoconservative movement with their “New American Century”- link
  • Opinion piece on how Trump exploited Maga and is furthering America’s decline- link
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