The declining clout of American empire

"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it", said George Santayana, a great American philosopher. Gone are the days of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon the Great and the likes. Preserving and protecting an empire today has become more complex and difficult than building it. While the economic strength and the military muscle continue to be the two most decisive elements in this obsessive game, modern-day nations have become inextricably interdependent making it infeasible for them to pursue any unilateral policy through intimidation and arm-twisting, aimed at advancing their economic, geopolitical or strategic gains. Hence the concept of empire building is not only obsolete but also impracticable.

The key to the US becoming an empire was arguably the creation and maintenance of NATO, the most successful alliance in history since 1945 that kept Europe in the American orbit both economically and militarily. The inclusion of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and few others in the Mid-East and Asia under the US umbrella as respectable equal partners and not subordinates amplified both America's economic and strategic gains and future possibilities.

Lamentably, the long-term partners of once indisputable leader of the world have witnessed the gradual withering of their right to equal voice and almost a complete confiscation of such right over the last few years.

The credibility of America for playing the key role in protecting democracy and territorial integrity of nation-states has been most nakedly squandered by invading Iraq under false pretences helping in losing the trust of many others who would otherwise rely on American assurance. Besides its shameful and continued endorsement of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land and the genocide unleashed against its rightful owners, the tacit support extended to the Zionists in their latest attack against Qatar, the widely applauded neutral country and a mediator in the Middle East crisis, was the final nail in the coffin of American empire.

As it stands today, not only other countries do not fear the USA as they did before, many of them do not need it. The similarities that today's America shares with ancient Rome are enormous and there are significant parallels between the two empires just before their eventual fall. The only difference is: America is taking less than 50 years in its 250 years of existence to fall apart dismantling its once universally admired guiding principles and exceptional human values; while it took 1000 years for the Roman empire to go extinct with identical symptoms seen prior to its disappearance.

The writer is a retired Lt. Col. of the Bangladesh Army and a Bir Protik.