October 10, 2015

from WashingtonsBlog Website

Spanish version

The American Empire Is Quickly Declining

Consummate insider Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson - former chief of staff to Colin Powell, and now distinguished adjunct professor of Government and Public Policy at William & Mary - notes that the U.S. is exhibiting all of the signs of a failing empire, including:

• Relying on massive military force (and using gigantic complexes to support it) as the be-all and end-all of power, and belittling diplomacy
   

• Maintaining standing armies, instead of disbanding military forces between wars
   

• Using more mercenary forces than citizen troops
   

• Spending disproportionately large amounts of blood and treasure in order to counter threats on the status quo… which simply exacerbates the threat against the empire
   

• Going ethically and morally bankrupt
   

• Ending up up having bankers and financiers end up running the real power
   

• Suffering great hiccups in finance and trade
   

• The leaders no longer really believe in or follow the ideals of the founders

The U.S. is also following the age-old recipe for imperial decline by:

• Creating unsustainable levels of inequality

• Destroying upward mobility (and see this)

• Incurring staggering levels of debt to finance war and luxury goods

• Debasing its currency

• Military overspending

• Runaway corruption

• Apathy and greed

And the decline of the America empire is speeding up due the U.S. falling into the Thucydides trap.