by Martin Morgenroth

Created on: February 09, 2009

In the course of human history you see the fall and rise of many civilizations. The fall of Rome can be attributed to a combination of poor leadership, bad economic conditions, and an overburdened military. Now if we were to compare our current status here in America and the status of the Roman Empire during their downfall, we will see a similarity between them.

Rome suffered from bad leadership and so does America. When Julius Caesar changed the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire, he set the stage for Rome's downfall. He did this by concentrating power in his office. Later emperors used that power badly. Like Caesar, President Bush has found a way to overcome democracy. When Congress sends him a bill to sign into law, he issues signing statements that tell his administration to ignore whatever part of the bill he does not like. By doing this, he is assuming both legislative and judiciary powers. Like Caesar, Bush is setting the stage for our downfall.

In addition to poor leadership, poor economic conditions can lead a civilization to its downfall. A healthy civilization invests in its own productive capacity. In its early days, Rome built many roads and aqueducts, which contributed to its wealth. Later, the Romans built structures like the Coliseum, solely for entertainment, which is not productive. We have done the same thing. Congress gave Alaska over $100 million to build a bridge that led to an island no one wants to go to. Meanwhile, all over the country, roads and bridges that carry heavy traffic need repair, but that is being ignored. We are ruining our own productive capacity.

The final cause of Rome's downfall was an overburdened military. Rome fought many battles all over Europe and their armies were not well funded. The weakened armies were finally overcome by the barbarians. Today, we are fighting one war in Iraq that has cost us hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives, but all that sacrifice does not seem to be achieving anything of benefit to us. We are also fighting another war in Afghanistan, where our enemies live, that could progress better if we invested more. Our military is overburdened, just as Rome's was, and our enemies will prevail if we do manage our military better.

Given the parallels between Rome and us with regard to bad leadership, poor economic choices, and an overburdened military, we cannot afford to continue on our current course. To avoid a fate similar to Rome's, we must take action now.

Write your article here

Learn more about this author, Martin Morgenroth.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.