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Originally Posted by k925
Yes, but the U.S. is not an empire.
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Perhaps not in the literal sense, but certainly in the classical sense. The U.S. is, for better or worse, the sole world power. Much as Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, were before us. Our cultural influence stretches from one corner of the globe to the other. We maintain standing armies, in foreign lands, in an effort to maintain order. Whose order? We march out to impose our will, democracy, upon peoples that may, or may not, be ready for, or even want to be ready, to live their lives as we do. This effort to expand our "way of life", presents a massive strain on our treasury. Sounds like an "empire", to me.
When, not if, our "empire" colapses, it will come from within. Greed, corruption, lack of leadership, no clear direction, petty squabbling, an upper class enforcing a status quo, and a populace too willing to allow their government to do for them is what has brought down empires in the past, and is what will bring down ours.
A crossroads? Maybe. Think more in terms of 100 years, rather than 20. Will the gas/oil conditions, the war on terrorism, the hurricanes, the natural disasters, tsunamis, floods, etc. be worthy of more than a mere mention in a history book? Probably not. But, who's to say?