America is an empire like was pagan Rome. Very much so!
Ancient Rome used its legions to conquer and rule provinces via appointed governors. Like Herod's family ruled Canaan/Israel. But they directly ruled them, collected taxes, conducted the Roman census (as Joseph and Mary obeyed their Roman census obligation), had Roman magistrates, conducted official business in Latin, maintained the Roman roads, built extensive aquaducts, etc.
Can you say that America does anything comparable? We generally don't conquer anyone (with a few exceptions like Iraq/Afghanistan) and, if we have bases in foreign countries, we don't rule them or tax them or conduct a census or adjudicate in their courts according to American law.
So they are not comparable. Rome directly ruled an empire. America is at most a neoliberal neocolonial superpower with huge economic and military influence.
The two are not the same or directly comparable.
If you want a closer example, the British empire would be much closer to the Roman empire but even that falls considerably short of a fair comparison.
Can you say that America does anything comparable?
Not only comparable, but uncannily similar.
If you cannot see it, you must have exceptionalists blinders on your eyes.
That would be you with jealousy. Every time we go to war it cost America huge in life and dollars. We never financially make a killing by going to war. We never own the land we conquer and we always try to leave it better if the people will allow it. Who has the blinders on?????
That would be you with jealousy. Every time we go to war it cost America huge in life and dollars. We never financially make a killing by going to war. We never own the land we conquer and we always try to leave it better if the people will allow it. Who has the blinders on?????
Is Vlad paying you to say these things? Because they're daft.
You didn't even address my salient points; you just ignored them and hoped they would go away.
No, America most certainly is not an empire in the sense that the Roman empire was. It's not even comparable to the British empire. That's not to say that we aren't doing a lot more than we should around the world but you should compare apples to apples, not apples to oranges.
You just have an ax to grind on this issue because poor Mother Russia and the weak sister (the EU) don't have the clout that America does.
It's not our fault if we are strong and the EU is weak (by choice) or Mother Russia is weak (due to longterm mismanagement and reliance on a gas-station economy in an era of falling energy prices as America ramps up to finally destroy OPEC's power over world economies).
You just have an ax to grind on this issue because poor Mother Russia and the weak sister (the EU) don't have the clout that America does.
By such statements you expose how your mind and emotions work. You do not care for truth, you care for clout, you have several axes to grind, you are bitter etc ... You have fear of being weak or inferior so you need to put down others etc ... You take your feeling of worth from identifying whith power that you are subject to or group that you belong to, etc ...
By such statements you expose how your mind and emotions work. You do not care for truth, you care for clout, you have several axes to grind, you are bitter etc ... You have fear of being weak or inferior, etc ...
Is that your lame-ass Euroweenie version of "I know you are but what about me?"?
Is that your lame-ass Euroweenie version of "I know you are but what about me?"?
Putting your complexes toward Europe aside, it is hard for you imagine that someone is REALLY interested in subject of debates, and not in his ego or gain.
$20,000,000,000,000 (TWENTY TRILLION) in federal debt and you call it fun? What the hell is your background? Another do-nothing, federal employee that sucks the teat of the American taxpayer?
I see two options - 1. multipolar world, where USA can be first among the equals, or 2. bipolar world, where USA will dominate Europe and Latin America, while China will dominate Asia and Russia. (Africa will be zone of proxy conflicts)
I think that because bipolarity is the most common for all complex structures it the most likely.
Transformation might take couple decades, best if without major war.
Obviously, you must be experienced at borrowing over or above your capabilities to pay back debt, just like these elected government monsters in Washington DC.
I see two options - 1. multipolar world, where USA can be first among the equals, or 2. bipolar world, where USA will dominate Europe and Latin America, while China will dominate Asia and Russia. (Africa will be zone of proxy conflicts)
1. multipolar world, where USA can be first among the equals, or...
We haven't heard that one in the last fifteen years, since corrupt President Chiraq and his embarrassing prime minister de Villepain descended on the United Nations (in the runup to the Iraq invasion) to explain to us benighted American clods in condescending tones that the era of America as the lone superpower (hyperpower, unipower) was over and that the EU was the new pivot man in a global Russian/Chinese circle jerk.
And it still hasn't happened.
or 2. bipolar world, where USA will dominate Europe and Latin America, while China will dominate Asia and Russia.
You'd better phone the Kremlin. I don't think Vlad would appreciate your idea that his role in history is to be China's bitch.
It's over? Already? Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
BTW, who's taking over world domination?
Islamic jihad. It has shown a remarkable resistance to change over fourteen hundred years and an uncanny abilility to feed off the weakness of other nations.
Islamic jihad. It has shown a remarkable resistance to change over Seventeen hudread years and an uncanny abilility to feed off the weakness of other nations.
Muhammed was around in the 7th century. So only around 1400 years.
Seriously, I do not want to duplicate or plagiarize, so google this:
rome america empire
No, I won't waste a google (DDG) search on it.
You never addressed the very fundamental differences in governance, central control, courts, taxes, census as I laid them out in my above post. I didn't even get to issues like citizenship by which individuals in the Roman provinces were also full Roman citizens, as was the case with Saul of Tarsus (the apostle Paul).
It's very easy to ignore that someone has pointed out that you are profoundly wrong and just insist instead that they go off on a wild goose chase via google, all so you don't have to admit that you said something stupid and unsupported by historical facts.
So, no, I won't google it for you because you're just wrong.
However, America has never had more than a half-dozen foreign territories to protect and administer, like the Solomons and Marianis and Puerto Rico. And we make huge giveaways to them constantly and offer free citizenship to those who want it and tons of benefits as well. Our territories largely have had home rule and elected their own native governors.
You can't possibly pretend that Rome did anything compabable with the provinces of its empire. The Romans were outright conquerors. At most, we employ heavy economic and military influence, a neocolonial empire. Rome's was, as the British empire was, a colonial empire that conquered and annexed foreign nations from beginning to end.
If America was the new Rome, as you say, we would already have conquered Canada and Mexico and be well on our way to conquering all of Central and South America. But we don't. We certainly have influence but we don't conquer. Why? Well, because we are smarter and more ruthless than the Roman, the British and the Soviet empires.
Names and labels are the surface. Roman citizens would be very offended until Diocletian if you told them that they are under monarchy at least until Caracalla, they believed that they are free citizens of the Republic, the Empire was just a system of alliances with City of Rome, in today parlance - International Community.
You still haven't admitted that America is not an empire in the sense that Rome was an empire or Russia was an empire or the USSR was an empire or that even Britain was an empire.
America throws its weight around too much around the world but it is not an empire. It has fifty states and a half-dozen territories (that suck lots of welfare and social security out of the system and whose citizens can become full American citizens at any time).
If America was the new Rome, as you say, we would already have conquered Canada and Mexico and be well on our way to conquering all of Central and South America.
You have had your wars with these states and came out of it with large chunks of territory, Canada (British) being better able to resist you and you conquered Cuba and the Philippines. That your non continental empire has broken up is no doubt an accident, but you conquered Germany and Afghanistan and left your bases there and your proxy wars continue as you seek to control. You are beyond the conquest phase of empire but you use the economic tools to control so both Canada and Mexico suck on your teat
You anti American's are truly delusional. America is not perfect but have you seen the rest of the world? As long as bankstirs can buy off politicians(ie Clintons, Bushs or McCrazy) and MSM cheap they can keep turn the world upside down.
We could have taken Canada, Mexico and pretty much any place we wanted. But to do so you need the backing of the American people which will not put up with this garbage. Not even the politicians or MSM could make this happen. Being that neither one of you are Americans you would not know this.