Continuous War: The Case of the Ancient Roman Empire and Present Day America - Research Paper Example

Continuous War: The case of the ancient Roman Empire and Present day America Introduction The Roman Empire is perhaps one of the greatest empires in the history of the world. Starting in 753BC it grew to rule a greater section of Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa for over 1000 years, making it one of the greatest civilizations to have ever been formed1. It was one of the most influential civilizations having designed many of the modern inventions currently in use in the world today. Legend and myth can perhaps attest to the reason why the Empire was plagued with so much war and unrest. Legend has it that the Roman Empire was established by the twin sons of Mars who was the god of War. Romulus and Remus established the Roman Empire however, Romulus killed Remus in order to maintain entire control of the kingdom for himself2. It is perhaps these events that led to a series of unrest in the Kingdom that eventually lead to its fall in 476AD. Invasion by foreigners The Roman Empire was invaded by foreigners who weakened the military system with the state. For some time, Rome had interacted with foreigners in various levels and even allowed some of them to penetrate their borders. The Germanic tribes and barbarian groups such as the Goths had been present in the Empire’s borders. They had presented trade opportunities and offered their services up to the Roman Empire. However, following a series of disagreements resulting from inappropriate behaviour from the Romans, these foreign tribes rose up to raid the western Roman cities leading to its down fall. Of great significance was the Germanic leader Odoacer who led one of the greatest uprisings in history to depose Emperor Romulus Augustus in 476AD. This was the final period that any Roman Emperor would ever rule in that empire. The United States is also facing a similar situation as it takes up various foreigners into its lands. This is realized in the case of refugees from war torn states who are offered asylum in the country. These refugees come from different cultures and backgrounds from all over the world. In addition, there are those who come into the country seeking further education and employment. Differences in culture and religion could be a potential source of conflict within this nation especially among those who may consider the United States citizens lacking in morals. Just like the Roman Empire that entertained foreigners, the United States is at risk of facing rebellion from its foreign members. This could be a potential spark for uprisings and rebellions in the country. In addition, continuous war with its other far off neighbours could also spur hatred for America and cause its neighbours to gang up and rebel against it. War as a cause of economic troubles The Roman Empire was constantly at war with its neighbours3. This is similar to the case of the United States which is even currently at war with its neighbours. The current wars that the United States is engaged in include Operation enduring freedom in the Philippines and the Horn of Africa, War in North West Pakistan and the al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen. These wars drain the country’s savings of precious funds that could have otherwise been diverted to other areas of the economy. In the ancient Roman Empire, funds were collected from citizens through a series of taxation mechanisms4. However, as the wars with their neighbours increased and progressed, the level of taxation increased so that the empire could be able to support the numerous wars that they had going on. An increase in taxation led to an increased level of frustration among the members of the Empire. The rate of inflation increased thereby widening the gap between the poor and the rich in the country. The few rich governed the poor ones ruthlessly leading to further frustration among the citizens. There was scarcity of food and other resources further driving their populations into a state into a deplorable state. Most of the citizens were forced to work as slaves for the rich few in order to live. In the fifth century, various foreigners began claiming their North Africa territory and disrupting the empire’s trade activities5. This hampered the economy of the state because pirates in the Mediterranean would steal all of their resources. These resulted in great losses and a general decline of the economic potential of the empire. In this weak state, it was vulnerable to attack from various quarters. The United States may face challenges with the economy if it continues to fund the ongoing wars with its neighbours. Government resources are often spent sending soldiers to the Middle East and Africa fuelling a war that might not end soon. These wars will drain the state of valuable resources while other sectors of the economy fail to thrive. Provision of essential public services may be hampered in the future. Of special interest is the public healthcare program that was recently unveiled. Without the necessary public funds to support this program, it may fail. Such failure would lead to public outcry and uprising as has been realized with the uprisings in the Middle East. Division among the states The Roman Empire failed largely because of divisions that were witnessed in the state. The Roman Empire was divided into the Western Rome and Eastern Rome which went separate ways in terms of governance, finance and social support6. As a result, when the wars broke out and the foreigners invaded, their previously strong army was weakened by such separations. The Eastern and the Western states failed to work together to manage their outside threats resulting in the fall of the Western state. The United States is still united in terms of governance, finance and social support. Their units or states are still working as one. The reason why the Roman Empire split into two was because the state was becoming too large to govern. Hence to improve governance and reduce the area that was under person, the state was split into two but suitable measures were not put into place to ensure that the states were governed well. The United States has got a good governance system that ensures that each of the member states is represented in the National government. As a result, each state is supported in terms of budgetary allocations to cater for its citizens. However, it is increasingly becoming obvious that the country is divided along the lines of the Republican and Democratic parties. In addition, there are states that are perceived to purely bias along these lines. Should such divisions along party lines, principles and cultures be allowed to thrive, the United States of America may be divided into two. This division will make it vulnerable during times of war should an enemy take advantage of this division. Expansive borders and Military overspending The Roman Empire was large and stretched over an expansive area of land. This great distance made it difficult to manage at the height of its success. Even with its excellent infrastructure and technology, it was unable to manage such areas resulting in drastic measures in order to protect its borders. Emperor Hadrian is known to have built a wall in Britain simply to keep off enemies from its borders7. The state went to great extent in order to protect its porous borders from invasion by foreigners. This led to military overspending because an increasing amount of funds was utilized to protect its borders. This was done at the expense of technological advancement that could have led to an increase in the state’s economy. The United States stretches over an expansive area of the continent as well. Its size may well be its downfall as realized by the Roman Empire should it fail to monitor its spending. The creation of the United States in history was undertaken by colonizing and expanding into a few states. This incorporated various native tribes within the surrounding areas. As a result, the United States currently occupies 9.83 million square kilometres. It is difficult to manage these areas and the country has several areas in which its borders are considered porous. People have been known to walk in from Mexico as illegal immigrants making it increasingly important for the state to protect its borders. The government has been accused of military overspending in the past and is increasingly on the spot for the exorbitant budgetary allocations that it provides for the military department. Loss of traditional values The traditional Roman value system placed the value of the state above those of other people8. As such, people worked hard to protect their land by offering themselves up to go to war in order to protect their land from being taken over by enemies. Value and honour was derived from such acts making it the superior to other states. However, when Christianity came along, value shifted from the state to a sole deity who was to be placed above others in the Roman Empire. Church leaders took an increasing role in politics thereby complicating the governance system. With corruption among the church leaders rampant, less people preferred to be associated with the leadership system. Less people were willing to fight for their country leading to a weakened army. At some point, the state had to employ other people to join the army because the locals did not volunteer their people. These foreign armies also contributed significantly to the fall of the Roman Empire because their allegiances changed in the face of war with their own people. Most of the Germanic Goths who had been recruited into the Roman army betrayed the Romans in their war with the Germanic soldiers. The United States is increasingly being accused of corruption among leaders at the highest levels of governance. For the past for the past 100 years, the United Stated has either been fighting a war, recovering from a war, or preparing for a new war: World War I (1917-18), World War II (1941-1945), Cold War (1947-1991), Korean War (1950-1953), Vietnam (1953-1975), Gulf War (1990-1991), Afghanistan (2001-ongoing), and Iraq (2003-2011). In these wars, it has relied heavily on its citizens to voluntarily go to war for their land. However, an increasing number of people are losing faith in their country’s governance thereby reducing the number of people willing to die for their country. This loss of patriotism could prove dangerous at a time when the state may need troops to fight for it being that the list of wars that the United States is fighting is far from complete. Bibliography Ferrill, Arther. The fall of the Roman Empire: The Military Explanation. New York: Thames and Hudson Ltd. 1986. Read More