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Over 300 years before the birth of Jesus,
Alexander the Great conquered all the known world, then sat down and
cried because there were no other worlds to conquer.
His kingdom of Macedonia, small by today’s standards, spread
their culture from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean.
His empire was all supreme in his day. Julius Caesar took the banner of Rome into new
territories reaching to the beaches of Britain as Rome had its day of
supremacy. The tactics of
Julius Caesar would be studied for centuries. Many theories abounded on what caused the
decline and fall of the Roman Empire.
They range from hot baths and drinking out of lead utensils to
decadence and worshipping false gods.
Regardless, they had their zenith of culture and power—then
faded. Different nations have had their peak in
history. Spain was near
ruling the world during the reign of English Queen Elizabeth.
Phillip II’s Spanish Armada was the greatest fleet of warring
vessels in the world at that time.
His conquest of England was almost assured—except for the storm
that wiped them out. But
for that storm we might be speaking Spanish today. Different nations had their ambitious leader in
history. The Khans of
China. Attila the Hun. Charlemagne. Then
there was a power hungry general with charisma that spellbound a nation.
Napoleon marched across Europe and had territories around the
world. Most people might be
speaking French today if not for the snows of Russia and mud from the
rains on the battlefield at Waterloo. America is a comparative newcomer in the family
of nations. Some reluctant
rebels couldn’t get satisfaction from the mother country—England. In the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, this country
could claim victory of sorts. It
was not that the young country was that powerful.
It paled beside the strength of England with its far-flung
empire. The European
balance of power and jealousy kept any one country from flexing its
muscles unhindered. America’s first venture into world diplomacy
was with the Monroe Doctrine. James
Monroe, fifth president of the United States, told European nations to
keep hands off Central America and South America.
His term of office was called the Era of Good Will, as this
country began to exercise diplomacy and learn foreign diplomacy. Manifest Destiny became the motto in the mid
1800s. Leaders of the young
country believed Providence intended the nation to spread across the
continent and become involved in overseas troubles.
Annexation began with bringing in Texas, taking in California,
becoming interested in Alaska and even in the Philippine Islands.
The Spanish American War of 1898 took the American Flag to new
lands. Hawaii and Puerto
Rico were among the additions. World War I, with its stalemate of jealous
European nations, had been fought to a deadlock until America joined the
side of the Allies. Little
more than 20 years later America was again on battlefields of Europe to
check Adolph Hitler’s domination plan.
This time there were two fronts with the fight against Japan in
the Pacific. The industrial
might and the unsinkable American spirit was victorious. Other countries were drained of resources and
drive after World War II, leaving America to stand against Communism in
the Cold War. When the
Russians blockaded Berlin, American planes airlifted food and supplies
to Berlin. When there is a
drought or calamity anywhere in the world, America hearts open and aid
is on the way. The Soviet Union and Communism could not match
America’s capitalism. The
United States emerged as the super power.
With it came the assumption that America has to be the guardian
of world morals. We became
more and more involved in disputes abroad.
Somalia was a tragic example.
America has come to the point that the feeling is we alone can
change and make the world better, whether other nations want it or not. Very likely other nations in history from Rome
to China felt the same way, that it was their burden to undertake. All this comes with a price. Foreign involvement has a hunger for natural resources and
funding. Sometimes it
demands the cost of American lives.
Sometimes it’s hard to draw the line between humanitarian aid
and taking care of this country and its people first. No nation has ever remained forever as the king
of the mountain. If America
drains its wealth and the best of society to cure the world’s ills, we
could become a bankrupt nation. Besides, the nations we have helped most have
been the first to turn on us. In
Desert Storm, Iraq could have taken over Kuwait without America. Saudi Arabia would have been next. Their gratitude is shown each time an American motorist is
gouged at the gas pumps. Who is the next power to be? Already South Koreans have abandoned learning English, which
was the preferred language for a future.
Now they are learning Chinese.
With its vast population and rapid transition to capitalism,
China may well be the world’s next super power. We can’t become isolationists again.
But we must temper humanitarian efforts with common sense.
We can’t drain our treasury and incur debts our children’s
children must pay. Some
objective thinking is needed so that we do not see in our lifetime the
decline and fall of the America empire.
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