The
Phases of an Empire
Part A: Key Points
* An Empire is a nation that; 1. Owns colonies, and/or 2. Controls, or has great influence over, other
nations. Empires require economic
and military strength to start and maintain, and this is expensive.
*
All Empires fail, and for the same reasons: 1. Expense of military abroad, and subsidies at home, 2. Decline in domestic
productivity (spoiled, parasitic citizens), and 3. Corruption (illegal conduct) and decadence (unethical and immoral
conduct) by leaders and citizens.
* Empire-USA, Our Deal to other nations is: ’We will be the world’s policeman and protect you, but you must accept our fake money and ‘influence’.
The USA is far into Phase 3-Failure. Look around you for the symptoms shown in Part B-3 and Part C below.
Chart Height Shows Combined
Military and Economic Strength (Power and Wealth)
o o [ -
] o o
o
o 1. (Disband Empire: Reduced
o
o o
Homeland Survives)
o
o o o o o
o
o
o
o or 2. (Total Failure:
o
o Homeland is Gone)
x
x x
x x x
x
USA 1776 1845 1898 USA
1960 2007
2020 ? 2090 ?
[ Phase 1 - Growth ] [Phase 2 - Maturation] [ Phase 3 - Decline or Failure >>>
Part B: Events/Symptoms in each Phase
Phase 1- Growth
* Land: Gain territory
by ‘discovery’ (too bad for the natives), or conquest.
* Strength: Start
growth of economic and military strength. Sound currency (precious metal, or convertible paper).
* Government: New
land is governed as a colony or part of homeland nation (becoming a sovereign republic may require a revolution).
* Ethics: Most
government people and citizens are hard working and honest. Government is a ‘servant’.
Phase 2- Maturation
* Land: Add contiguous
land, or remote colonies, by conquest or negotiation.
* Strength: Become
a world leader in both economic and military strength. Homeland receives cheap imports from colonies. Currency is debased
to foster ‘growth and prosperity'.
* Government: Grows
stronger and acts as boss, manager, nanny, owner, etc. Power is used to ‘manage’ other nations to impose/protect
its ‘interests’.
* Ethics: Corruption
and decadence grow due to decline in personal responsibility caused by nanny state.
Phase 3- Decline and/or Failure
* Land: Lose colonies
by revolution or voluntary release (due to expense and unrest).
* Strength: No
longer a world leader. Power declines by 50% or more. Value of fake currency crashes in purchasing power by 50% or more. Default
on debt (or pay off with low value paper money).
* Government: Gets
weak and desperate. Leaders try to gain power to survive citizen discontent. ‘Bread and Circuses’ grow, now called
grants, subsidies and entitlements.
* Ethics: Corruption
and decadence are rampant in both social and government conduct. Failure occurs as either; A. Nation survives, but at
a reduced level of strength and standard of living (England, France, Spain, and Russia are examples; see list in Part D),
or B. Ceases to exist due to takeover by other nations or groups.
Part C:
Empire-USA is in Phase 3: Decline and/or Failure
Problems:
* High Expenses: The expense to maintain bases, and fight wars, worldwide exceeds the
monetary and political benefits. The US has over 700 military bases, with troops (not counting embassies), in over 130 countries,
and the US acts as the world’s policeman to protect its ‘interests’, and impose ‘influence’.
Resistance by our ‘subjects’ is building. Military expenses are a drag on the economy, and the troops get less
than ideal equipment due to cost problems. Host nations are unhappy having our occupying troops.
* High Debt: The US is a bankrupt Empire by any measure. It cannot hope to pay back
the about $9 trillion in debt held by other nations, or the about $50 trillion unfunded future obligations of domestic programs
(Medicare, Social Security, etc.). Interest payments are huge. In 2007 the US Dollar (USD) is still the world’s reserve
currency (held as if gold by other nations; it can be viewed as a share in ‘USA Inc.’), despite the fact that
the US is also the world’s biggest debtor. This combination has never occurred before in history! Thus, since all US
government debt is denominated in USD, the government can create new low-value dollars out of thin air to pay its debts! A new form of default! The USD is in a precarious
position due to excessive expansion of the money supply (‘inflation’) and the USD could crash in value at any
time. The extreme is ‘hyperinflation’, when the money becomes almost worthless. As with heroin, lots of fake money
(the Federal Reserve Bank calls it ‘liquidity’) feels good at first, but has withdrawal pain called recession
or depression. Since the federal government never runs out of money, it often becomes the funder for state projects (with
strings attached, called ‘control’), and ‘states rights’ wither. This gives vote-getting power to
Congressmen, and acquiescent State officials suck it up to avoid taxing to raise state funds.
* Enemies: The US often acts as a bully and occupying force to gain land and resources.
This started in 1812 with the failed invasion of Canada, then 1845 with the Mexican-American War, and 1898 with the Spanish-American
war (which led to occupation/acquisition of the Philippines and Hawaii). The World Wars, Korea, Vietnam and others followed.
The recent Balkans, Afghan, and Iraq wars are primarily about; 1. Control of oil (The US wants it all; no ‘easy-cheap’
MidEast oil for India and China), 2. Defense of Israel, 3. Land for bases, and 4. Continuation of oil sales in US Dollars
by Iraq and Iran. The US entered/started all these wars based on lies by leaders. What a disgrace and ripoff of the people!
Trust and respect for the US has declined in the eyes of its citizens and other nations. This meddling foreign policy contributed
to 9-11 and terror. The federal government grasps for new, unconstitutional power.
* Corruption
and Bad Ethics: Ethics and social conduct are on the decline in the US. Corruption is rampant in
both the government and business. Shady conduct is considered ‘normal’ (gang theft by vote, ‘earmark’
pork handouts, lying, etc.). Prime time TV is now riddled with sexual content, cursing, glorification of misconduct (‘The
Sopranos’, ‘Desperate Housewives’, etc.), and violence (NASCAR, cop shows). Sports are riddled with violence
(the fans like it!) and cheating, condoned by coaches and team owners that want to sell more tickets. Little or none of the
above occurred in the ‘50s. The article below describes a good example of ethical decline:
'Imperial
'Justice' : The Haditha massacre and what it means to be an empire' (partial)
The Marines went berserk after of one their company was killed in a roadside bombing.
The Haditha, Iraq massacre occurred on Nov. 19, 2005. A few months later, after an outcry in the Iraqi – and American – media, murder charges were brought by the U.S. military against eight Marines. Today, all but Company commander Staff
Sgt. Frank Wuterich have either had their cases dismissed, mostly on technicalities, or, in one case, found not guilty. Wuterich's trial date has been postponed. Yousef Aid Ahmed, the sole surviving brother of what used to be a large family, told the McClatchy News Service: "We put our hopes in the law and in the courts, and one after another they are found innocent. This is an organized crime."
Well, yes, it is organized crime: or, at least, that's what they call it when the Mafia does it. However, when our government engages in such activities overseas, it's called U.S. foreign policy. In spite of the
"legal" façade being erected over the brutal reality of their execution, there is no justice for those who were murdered in
Haditha, only imperial "justice," which is a rationale for murder. The two Marines who murdered Ahmed's brothers were let
off the hook in August 2007.
This is why they hate us, not only in Iraq but throughout the region. Listen to young Ahmed: "Right now I feel hatred that will not fade. It grows
every day."
When we thrust our soldiers into the role of occupiers, we are giving them a choice:
commit war crimes, or die. Become a monster, or a corpse.
Our foreign policy of global interventionism
has been heading toward this point since the end of World War II.
What we are discovering, however, is that conquering these new territories is much easier
than holding on to them. An empire, we're finding, is a costly conceit, far more so than we ever imagined. On the other hand, the benefits, such as they are, accrue only to a well-connected few (usually known as ‘contractors’). And we're paying a moral price as well as one that can be calculated in terms
of casualty counts and dollars and cents. Before we continue along the course of empire, we ought to wonder how many more Hadithas we want on our record – and
whether we want to condemn the U.S. military to such a tragic fate. ~ Justin Raimondo,
June 23, 2008.
Solutions:
Of the two ways to end the inevitable Phase 3 of an Empire (Decline or
Failure), it is far less painful to engage in a ‘managed decline’, or ‘nation restoration’, compared
to a massive depression. England and France are examples. A 'managed' process would entail prompt action to;
1. Invoke a major
change in foreign policy by; a. Terminating Empire-USA, and its role as policeman and bully of the world, and focus
on defense; b Reducing spending and conflict by closing most, or all, overseas bases, and keeping only a minimal standing
army (primarily State-controlled National Guard); c. Stop meddling in the affairs of other nations by force, sanctions, or
bribery; and d. Promote free trade.
2. Invoke a similar
change in domestic policy where; a. Federal spending is reduced by 50% or more; b. Creation of new fake money is ended;
c. Sound money is introduced (paper is convertible to precious metal); d. The Constitution and law are adhered to (with repeal
of recent bad laws); and e. Market intervention (favors to firms, unions, people) is ended, and free enterprise capitalism
is used.
These steps would
help bring the government back to its proper role to; ‘Protect the personal and property rights of citizens, as individuals,
from threat or violation by others’. With this approach, the USA and its citizens would enjoy a future of peace,
prosperity, justice and good ethics. It always works! I cite W. Germany in 1948, and later Ireland, Prov. of Alberta, Canada,
and New Zealand.
Part D: The History of Empire Phases
Sources: 1. ‘An
Inquiry into the Decline and Fall of Nations’, W. Playfair, England, 1805 (Rare books library, Toronto, Canada), 2.
‘Empire of Debt’, Bonner and Wiggins, 2006
Name Start End
Total Status
Phase 1 Phase 3
Years
Babylonian 1900 bc
1600 bc 300
gone
Assyrian 900 bc
612 bc 288
gone
Carthage 800 bc
100 bc 700
gone
Persian 648 bc
330 bc 318
gone
Athenian-Greek
500 bc 300 bc
200 gone
Macedonian 338 bc
309 bc 29
gone
Chinese 221 bc
1912 233 gone
Roman 31
bc 395 426 gone, split to
Byz. & Holy Roman
Byzantine 395
1453 1058 gone
Arabian 630
1258 628 gone
Holy Roman 406
476 70 gone
Portuguese 1495
1975 480 Homeland survived
Mongol 1206 1920 714 gone, Mongolia survived
Abyssinian 1270
1974 704 gone
Ottoman 1281
1923 642 gone, Turkey survived
Spanish 1492
1975
483 Homeland survived
British 1500
1950 450 Homeland survived
French 1600
1965 365 Homeland survived
Dutch 1627 1944
317 Homeland survived
Austro-Hung. 1804
1918 114 Austria and Hung. surv’d
USA 1845 (active)
162 + In Ph. 3;#1 world power
German 1884
1918 34 Homeland survived
Japanese 1871 1945 76 Homeland survived
Author:
David Redick, All rights reserved.
