This article is a link from The Middlebury Institute about why empires fail. Of course the premise has to be accepted that the United States is an empire. Although the term, “lone superpower” has been used since the mid 90’s buy both Democrats and Republicans, empire it is not.
This article went after “neocons” in D.C. as the power using the U.S.as an empire with the fall of the Soviet Union. However, a “Google” search found only leftist articles using the term “empire” against the neocons. I found no articles written by the right that advocates an American empire, and the only interesting thing I found was an article by a self claimed “associate” of the neocons, that indicated the original neocons were former liberals who became disenchanted with the excesses of the Democrat party of the 60’s and 70’s, and still saw a need to stand strong against the Soviets and be pro-Israel.
This is probably why the liberals are so obsessed with neocons, they were once one of them. Much like the guy who stops smoking and becomes overly anti-smoking, current smokers hate them.
Kirkpatrick’s proof of the fall of the “American Empire” is as follows:
Environmental degradation – Destruction of land and water by over use & climate change.
- The examples given by Kirkpatrick such as erosion of topsoils, over fishing and depletion of oil & minerals, are happening mostly in other parts of the world and not in our “empire”. Topsoil is eroding but we know were it is. At the end of the Mississippi river. We can always dredge it up and bring it back north. It just costs too much right now. The quote Kirkpatrick uses is, "ecological footprint is already too large for the planet to sustain, and it is getting larger." Uses the word, “planet” I think Europe & China might argue that they are part of our “Empire”
Economic meltdown – Excessive resource exploitation, colonizing.
- Although the numbers the author uses are correct and disturbing, he has nothing to compare them too. What was Rome’s percent of manufacturing? What was their percent of GDP used for military or trade deficit? Why is the manufacture worker so cherished by the left but the owner of that company is such a villain? Our economy is not fragile, it is the continued over spending of our government and our own selves that needs to change.
Overextended military – Because of colonizing they are forced in more and more engagements.
- We don’t colonize! Iraq is not and never will be a U.S. colony. Is Germany a colony of the U.S.? We have troops there since 1945! Every soldier in Iraq has over $17,000 worth of equipment on them. Democrats can help the military by just supporting the President and thus sending a signal to our enemies that they have no choice but to deal with us.
Finally, Domestic dissent and upheaval – Collapsing from within and attacked from without.
- Well overextending the military is to fight the attack from outside, and it is mostly the liberals that are trying to destroy us from within, with its persistent demand for increased social programs, welfare, Medicaid, Medicare, Universal healthcare, making every minority group equal to the majority of the country. This leads to the bad economics point out previousely. Also other social issues such that homosexual marriage is an important issue for everyone, populations of 5% (Muslims & Jewish religions) need to have equal stance in our society like schools and city hall lawns, like the majority.
This is how you destroy from within. It use to be in America you could live your life they way you wanted as long as you left the rest of us out of it. Now you have to stick my nose in it too. Yuk!
Chris Mendelsohn
