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Originally Posted by Sinner
So, Will America follow the path the Romans took or the Path Sparta had taken??
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An interesting question for the situation we're in right now. I stated above that if we don't fight our attackers on foreign soil, they will chase us down and we'll have to fight them on American soil. Our enemies have demonstrated their lack of scruples when it comes to killing civilians, so I think as long as we send our soldiers to meet them we can save lives in the long run. Unfortunately, that may mean we couldn't choose to heed Cyrus' admonishment even if we wanted to. We may have to adopt an imperial government as a means of self preservation. Though I'm sure most Americans want to preserve our republic, and I admit that I lean in that direction, I do think that if Rome could maintain a just and peacful empire for two centuries then we could do it better. This brings me no closer to answering your quesiton, Sinner, but if I had to guess I'd say that when the USA finally admits to itself that it has become an empire, it will have already been an empire for deacdes. If, as multi's link suggests, the 9/11 attacks have resulted in a restructuring of military and political power that will give rise to American imperialism, then we cannot yet call ourselves an empire because our republic couldn't have been fully subverted in only five years.
Edit: Wikipeida has a
very informative article on this subject. Critics of American imperialism should read it to get a better sense of exactly what it is they are criticizing.