So, the world was a better place when the British ruled India, the Spaniards controlled South and Central America, and Europeans were carving up Africa and the Middle East for their own ends?
For Westerners, absolutely.
Does it make sense to compare a combination of the US, UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany --
I only said that there were similarities. Everything doesn't have to be a one for one match. :roll:
In any case, I'm comparing Classical Civilization as a whole with Western Civilization as a whole. Both rose out of relatively impoverished obscurity in order to become the undisputed centers of cultural influence, scholarly learning, economic prosperity, and military power in their respective eras.
For Classical Civilization, this rise began with the conquests of Alexander the Great, and culminated with the rule of the Roman Empire. For Western Civilization, it began with the European colonial conquests of the 15th through 19th centuries and seems to have reached its culmination with US global military, economic, and political hegemony.
In the end, Classical Civilization went into decay and was ultimately overturned and almost completely supplanted by the very cultures it had once ruled over with an iron fist.
It remains to be seen what will become of Western Civilization, though I would say that, current trends being what they are, our future prospects aren't exactly looking bright.
nations that only stopped fighting each other 70 years ago -- to the Roman Empire?
The Soviet Union, one of the largest and most powerful "empires" in human history by far, rose, hit it's golden age, and collapsed into oblivion in the span of less than seventy years.
What can I say? Things move faster in the modern era. :shrug:
Yes, I can see how rising economic prosperity, stronger sovereignty, improved education, and political freedoms in those nations would be a huge threat to the West.
Again, that's great...
for them. It is not so great, however; for the Western World. It is especially bleak when you consider the fact that several of the nations which are currently set to supplant us just so happen to be holding grudges against the Western world held over from the Colonial and Cold War eras.
I don't doubt for a single moment that they'll all positively
leap at the opportunity to "put us in our place" if the opportunity should present itself.
China would do it because they want to supplant us at the top. Russia would do it out of spite alone.
1) "Our" supplies? As in what, the US has a trans-national right to all natural resources anywhere in the world?
There are no thing as "rights" where the affairs of nations are concerned. Resources ultimately belong to whomever has the strength to claim them.
The Middle Eastern powers have a monopoly on the world's oil resources, and have attempted to lord this fact over the Western World in the past.
1973 OPEC Oil Embargo
It failed then, because the economies of the Middle Eastern powers were dependent upon oil exports, and they didn't really have anyone else to sell to who could match the demand of the Western World. Today, they wouldn't have this problem, as China and India both have oil demands that easily match or surpass those of Western nations.
Saddam Hussein tried the same tactic in the early 1990s, but that failed because he was facing the military might of a United States military that was just coming out of the Cold War.
Will the economically and politically crippled nation the United States is shaping up to be in the 21st Century be able to pull off the same feat should need arise? We'll see, but again, our chances aren't exactly looking great at the moment.
2) Did you not notice how Iran hasn't been selling its oil to the US since the 1970s?
Did you not notice how they basically have the ability to hold the global economy hostage by closing the Straight of Hormuz? :roll:
What do you think will happen if Iran even actually gets the nuclear weapons they're after? They'll be effectively untouchable.
They'll be able to do whatever they damn well please because no Western power will have the political courage necessary to risk a possible nuclear confrontation.
Sure, if they want to throw their own economy into a total tailspin. At this point, they need consumers as much as we need producers.
I think you might be surprised what the Chinese are willing to risk on a long term basis in order to accomplish their goals.
Or, it's an understanding that the adoption of Christianity was a major upheaval for the empire, which eliminated the cult of the Emperor, and undercut the basic structure of Roman society...
At best, it is a popular misconception.
Name a single concrete problem brought about by the Roman Empire's adoption of Christianity. I dare you.
Germany = 4th largest GDP in the world
France = 5th largest GDP (and permanent member of the UN Security Council)
UK = 7th largest GDP (and permanent member of the UN Security Council)
Italy = 8th largest GDP
London rivals any city in the world as a financial center. The UK has a vibrant contemporary art scene, world-class theater, a huge music industry. Yes, clearly Europe has no international influence at all....
China has cities with greater populations than most countries.
China to create largest mega city in the world with 42 million people
They are planning on building several more.
Hell! They've got so much extra money and labor lying around that they literally build entire replicas of famous Western cities just for sh*ts and giggles.
China Tried To Build A City To Replicate Paris ... And Here's What It Looks Like Now
Even more frightening, India is set to actually become
more powerful than China in the long run.
India's Economic Miracle
Is India Surpassing China
I'm sorry, but in comparison to that, the UK, and really all of Europe, are petty much an insignificant speck on the geopolitical map.
Europe no longer has any real "power." It no longer has any real "influence." It is simply coasting off of the credibility granted by its past glories.
The sad truth of the matter is that kind of thing simply isn't going to last forever. Whatever value a person might happen to get out of a strong reputation is inevitably doomed to fade if they do not also have the ability to back it up with strong actions.
Maybe the proper takeaway is that a nation doesn't need to be "Top Dog" in order to wield influence, protect its citizens, procure necessary resources and maintain a national identity.
*Snicker* Yea... How well has that worked out for Spain in the last couple of centuries?
The country is undeniable proof that when world class powers fall, they fall hard, and they tend to stay down.
Or perhaps it's that there really aren't a lot of good parallels between the US / West today, and the enormously different Western Roman Empire.
To the contrary, I think there are plenty of comparisons to be made. You just have to know where to look for them.