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Tuesday, 31 October 2006 16:36 |
From Staff Reports
The legacy of Rome, with a history that has affected many aspects of American culture and government, holds many lessons from which a modern day superpower ÇƒÓ such as the United States ÇƒÓ can learn, according to Dr. J. Rufus Fears.
About 60 people filled UNC Ashevilleës Alumni Hall last Thursday to hear Fears, a professor at the University of Oklahoma and author of several books, speak about the Roman Empire and its effects on America today.
The
lecture, titled "Leadership in Crisis ÇƒÓ Lessons of the Roman Empire
for America Today," revolved around the premise that the U.S. is
similar to Rome and is making the same mistakes the Romans made
thousands of years ago. The address was sponsored by the UNCA Classics
Department.
Among the traits
Fears cited that Rome shared with the U.S. were its origins as a
republic that initially honored individual rights; its diversity,
relative peace and wealth; and its status as the worldës leading super
power.
Fears, who has
written several books on the dangers of ignoring history, argued that
America should think historically, not only to learn from the mistakes
of the past, but also to consider the impact it will have on the future
of the world.
"Once you start down the road as a superpower, you canët turn back," he noted.
To understand
how to survive as a super power, Fears said that one must look at the
only other example of a superpower that has reached the scope and scale
of the U.S. ÇƒÓ Rome.
Rome had much in
common with the U.S., he noted, including good roads, a large
protective army, big cities, diversity, good civic systems and respect
for the rights of its citizens.
However, Fears
added, Rome also suffered from many of the shortcomings that America
today suffers. For instance, its citizens became too lazy to take part
in civic projects; it was plagued with inefficient politicians, too
much government and taxes that broke the wallets and the spirit of the
middle class; and it became involved in an unsolvable problem in the
Middle East.
"The Middle East is a quagmire," Fears explained. "No one has ever solved the problems of the Middle East."
Egypt, China,
Rome and many other European countries have all tried and failed to
solve the Middle East problems for centuries, he said, adding that
involvement in the region has been the final blow to many great
civilizations.
"The undertaking
of Iraq is as critical a moment in American history as the
Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War II and the Cold War," Fears
told the audience.
He argued that
without a historical understanding of how Rome ÇƒÓ the model of the
American government and civilization ÇƒÓ failed, the U.S. is doomed to
follow in its footsteps. Americans, Fears argued, lack historical
perspective and do not consider the impact their choices will have on
the future.
"Ultimately, what judges a superpower is its legacy," Fears said.
Initially, Rome
became involved in the Middle East out of good intentions, he argued.
The empire sought to keep its supply of food from Egypt safe from the
Iranian Empire, which was terrorizing Rome, Fears noted.
However, once
Rome begain to create a state loyal to it in the region, it found
itself in a situation from which it could not back down, he added. The
establishment of such a state led to the annexation and occupation of
other territories and finally full-scale war.
"We, as the Romans did, do not believe the lessons of history apply," Dr. Fears said.
Romeës fatal
mistake, Fears said, was that it failed to consider the history of the
region or to understand a few fundamental aspects of Middle Eastern
culture. The Romans, he argued, did not understand that no matter how
good the intentions, a liberator will not be welcome as such and that
most people in the region set loyalty to their faith ahead of political
allegiances.
Romeës
involvement in the region had far-reaching consequences, Fears said.
The empire nearly went bankrupt and had to raid the imperial jewels to
help pay for its campaign. It also ignored important foreign and
domestic issues in favor of dealing with the Middle East.
Once Rome was
caught in a quagmire there, it became harder and harder for the empire
to get out, he said. The Middle East was a strategic position for Rome,
but accomplishing its goals there required more resources than were
available, Fears told the audience.
He warned that in its involvement in the Iraq, the U.S. is making all the same mistakes that Rome made thousands of years ago.
The U.S., he
added, has put too many resources, lives and money into the Middle
East, and if the government does not pay attention to the other
important issues facing the country, it may fall in much the same way
that Rome did.
"What will be the legacy of America as a super power?" Fears asked, rhetorically. He offered no answer.
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