Are we still living in an Empirical Age?

1. 59

   J-Ramirezposted 15 years ago

   In 480 BC the Persian military commanded the largest and most powerful empire in the world. 150 years later, the Macedonian empire ruled over much of the land. And perhaps most famously, the Roman Empire commanded the most territory in the early 2nd century. All of these empires had one major thing in common: They expanded their respective empires through military control.
   
   Some may argue that the last attempt at world-wide domination was made by Nazi Germany during the world wars. Others may believe that the empire age died with the end of the British Empire. However, I beg the question, how is the United States of America not regarded as the strongest empire in the modern world? Let's take a look at the characteristics that define an empire.
   
   An empire is defined as a state with political or military control over a distinctly separate state. These distinctions may be cultural, geographical, or ethnic; in other words, one "country" that controls another, whether it by military force or political power. Can both of these forms of domination not be seen today with the war in Iraq?  On one hand you have the military invasion of Iraq (completely opposed to by the American people, may I add).  On the other, there is also the political takeover in 2003 of Iraq by the American-led Coalition Provisional Authority. To put it simply, the United States appointed nine members to a council that would oversee governing issues in Iraq until an official President was declared.  Now, I don’t know about you, but if someone is holding a really big gun while I am trying to vote for a president, I will be voting for whomever they want me to vote for. This constitutes a political takeover of a nation.
   
   Don’t misunderstand the information that is being given here.  I am not for or against the war in Iraq.  Quite honestly, my opinion does not matter.  But the fact is that no matter which way you interpret it, the governing body of Iraq was forcefully changed by the United States military.  And this is only one example out of many that can be seen throughout the history of the United States of America.  Take for example this simple fact: depending on where you gather your information, there are at least 700 American military bases on foreign soil.  The United States can find a friendly base on every continent!  Most of these bases were established on the premise of protection, whether it be our own or the protection of an asset. How many foreign countries do you think have military bases on American soil?  I’m hoping that you guessed the answer from the tone of the question, 0.  Every ancient empire used its military to control the other city-states. 
   
   Look, I love my country, which is why I do not want to see it fall like the empires preceding it.  The sun may have never set on the Roman Empire, but father Time still closed his eyes… I only hope that this same darkness does not fall on my people.

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2. 61

   kephriraposted 15 years ago

   It was the british empire the sun never set on not the roman, and that saying was at least partly cos it covered so much land on opposite sides of the globe, so it was always day time somewhere in the empire.
   
   Also I think the term 'empirical' has a meaning not related to empire, as in 'empirical evidence'.
   
   Aside from that (sorry if I'm being pedantic), America has behaved a lot like an empire in some ways, but as very few people in the world today accept military empire as a good thing (which was the case in the past), I think its pretty safe to say that the age of empires is over now. The British empire was the empire to end all empires, because instead of being defeated by another great empire, it just lost it's will for war after WW2 and gave it all back.

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