Originally posted by Sh*tBox
Nobody has a real territorial dispute with the US. Our boundaries are pretty much set in stone, and recognized by our neighbors (even though a large chunk of the US was forcefully taken from Mexico, that was a long time ago, and as long as Mexico doesn't become Facist [and not really poor] we don't have to worry about it). All of the examples I've listed of empires that have fallen violently were empires that stretched their boundaries beyond their capacity, through military takeover. The mongolian empire fell because it couldn't generate the infrastructure to govern the bulk of eurasia. The Macedonian empire was segmented into peices because it took too many resources to govern it as a whole.
The US is different. Although we did have our imperial days, we now lay claim to only our own land. As our economic tower crumbles, and thus our world sway deminishes, its possible nobody will challenge us militarily. Whatever the cause of the fall, our house of cards is built with the same deck as everybody elses. When it falls apart, its possible everybody will just say "well, there goes that" and deal with their own problems. I feel as long as America never again occupies its neighbors, we may be able to avert military confrontation. The last world war, and the cold war has tough most of the world (although apparently not us) 1. that war is nasty and should be avoided at all costs, and 2. that fighting over an idea/ideology will get you nowhere. Certainly, everyone (apparently, except Kim Jong Il) fears nuclear weapons, and respects them, and righfull so. Nobody wants to start the next world war. So maybe, as the US fades away, the rest of the world (probably meaning China) will leave us to lick our wounds. Of course, this theory only holds water assuming that the US pulls out of the middle east as soon as it has (well hopefully the UN has) cleaned up the mess thats being made right now.
This too, is possible within a diplomatic/economic hegemony. Athens fell from its economic empire in the mediterranean unchallenged. Since they made no territorial claim (with a couple small exceptions) over another Polis, they weren't confronted. Not until the rise of Phillip of Macedon (a good century after the hight of the Athenian empire) would athens have any real military challenges.
there, hows that sound?
:thumbup: