tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post8091102612671556706..comments2023-10-22T18:25:39.688+08:00Comments on The View from Taiwan: Rome is the wrong empireMichael Turtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-63836959648003904852009-10-27T00:37:49.531+08:002009-10-27T00:37:49.531+08:00I think you are too pessimistic about your country...I think you are too pessimistic about your country. Yes, it is <i>imperialist</i> and has been a sample of recklessness, especially during the Reagan and GWB years, but it is also a country that has dithered between isolationaism and expansionism until world war one and beyond (the Monroe doctrine was a case of expansionism too, obviously). But above all, America is a national state, rather than an empire. It will suffice itself, if it needs to. And it is more fascinating, even to those who are at the receiving end of its sometimes destructive sense of mission. The world has seen much worse superpowers - and while Americans can't choose how much influence they want to have worldwide, they can always choose what kind of country they want to be. Not too many nations can do that (yet).justrecentlyhttp://justrecently.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-76210993977340529842009-10-16T14:43:13.210+08:002009-10-16T14:43:13.210+08:00Would it be correct to say that Philip's armad...Would it be correct to say that Philip's armada was the most powerful instrument of war he had at hand for the task he faced at that time?<br />And he crashed it all on the coast of England...<br />So, if comparing Spain (than) to the US (now), <br />What would be (in the US today) the most powerful instrument of war at hand? <br />Thinking here perhaps of a little red buttons...<br />Crashing it all on the "coast" of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, could it be compared to the history of Spain you are referring to?<br /><br />Some how, i think we are treading in unchartered history.<br />That perhaps, there is no precedence for the times we are facing. <br />But that's just me.<br />interesting post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-28722989770929179362009-10-10T14:07:37.203+08:002009-10-10T14:07:37.203+08:00Well, the way I see it, "holy" is one of...Well, the way I see it, "holy" is one of the associations with Roman Empire.<br /><br />Hey, I had to go with the poet in me, man.Michael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-88579957201474931592009-10-10T14:05:52.407+08:002009-10-10T14:05:52.407+08:00Holy smoke, that is so refreshing. I never though...Holy smoke, that is so refreshing. I never thought of comparing the current situation of the USA to the old Spainsih Empire. <br /><br />A few days ago, I also notice a lot of people online commenting about the decline of the US and compare the US to Rome and British Empire, and China will replace the US etc etc. I was thinking that is just wrong in some way, and plan to blog about it. But my knowledge of history is not full enough to write a good counter arguement.<br /><br />Before, there is also a guy (Mahan, I think that is his name) that relate the US situation back in 1890 time frame to the French Empire (just pre-Napolean), and argue that the US needs to make the right decision and not repeat the French mistakes. I guess sometimes it works to look at other empire's situation, not just the obvious or the closely related ones.Dixteelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05689510846926854542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-60535648078225712009-10-10T10:47:26.186+08:002009-10-10T10:47:26.186+08:00Stop_Ma:
Don't you think that the Taliban, it&...Stop_Ma:<br />Don't you think that the Taliban, it's kith, and kin pose a serious dangerous to the world? Personally, I think the United States and its allies should have gone in their sooner, right after the Taliban held their coup, closed universities, destroyed Buddhist statues, and forced women to wear burkas on pain of death, stoning, or lashes. But that's just me. Maybe I've been brainwashed by the Harper government (a detestable government, by the way). Maybe you're indifferent to religious fundamentalism. All the same, I think giving Obama the Nobel Peace Prize is strange. He hasn't actually completed much of anything yet. He and his "accomplishments" are still a work in progress. I am all for troops being sent to Afghanistan. My own country's troops have been there, but unfortunately, the current Canadian gov. sucks at managing them. No doubt, with better management, their will fewer casualties.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907060405795620941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-60824580025416189502009-10-10T04:07:02.074+08:002009-10-10T04:07:02.074+08:00Regarding the "holy" attribute - did the...Regarding the "holy" attribute - did the Roman Empire really attach that to itself? Wikipedia says this was first used by Otto I in 962 - his coronation marking the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. <br /><br />On the other hand Philip II's father was Holy Roman Emperor, so maybe he has a claim. :-)StefanMuchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13041616398172997165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-18745924548670698832009-10-09T22:56:06.416+08:002009-10-09T22:56:06.416+08:00What we are seeing is the emergence of a technolog...<b>What we are seeing is the emergence of a technologically capable China, sooner or later probaly playing on the same level with the other developed nations. But thats all there is to it.</b><br /><br />I hope you're right.Michael Turtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974403961870976346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-9197184826958370002009-10-09T22:46:13.865+08:002009-10-09T22:46:13.865+08:00.
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Great post, Michael!
After reading this pos....<br />.<br />.<br />Great post, Michael!<br /><br />After reading this post, I discover that Obama has been given the Nobel Peace Prize.<br /><br />WTF?!!! <br /><br />That's all I can say.<br /><br />WTF.<br /><br />He's about to send thousands of more troops to Afghanistan for crying out loud!<br />.<br />.<br />.skiingkowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05381159852660053893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-18139113462287334802009-10-09T20:24:19.641+08:002009-10-09T20:24:19.641+08:00As long as the saner, more liberal and secular par...As long as the saner, more liberal and secular part of the US won't be completely screwed over by christian fundamentalism I simply don't see how the US, or Europe for that matter could be overtaken by any country. Neither Japan nor Korea nor Singapur are siginificantly more advanced than Europe or the US. What we are seeing is the emergence of a technologically capable China, sooner or later probaly playing on the same level with the other developed nations. But thats all there is to it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-10121869195694545232009-10-09T20:01:06.702+08:002009-10-09T20:01:06.702+08:00While not disputing your analysis as far as it'...While not disputing your analysis as far as it's taken, I would add another "rhyme." Spain-like Saudi Arabia after WWI-was a newly created and unified country which then stumbled onto great wealth utterly un attributal to its own efforts, the gold of the New World. With this new wealth, like the Saudis, they engaged in religious fanaticism and strangled work and innovation.Joel Haashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14285867748520347926noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-9792368848951903982009-10-09T18:08:38.955+08:002009-10-09T18:08:38.955+08:00Awesome post!Awesome post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-82835322408907530852009-10-09T14:00:48.809+08:002009-10-09T14:00:48.809+08:00Sorry to disagree, but I can hardly see any compar...Sorry to disagree, but I can hardly see any comparison between nowadays US goverment and it's peoples and the Spanish of Philip II, neither any rhytm. I think you underestimate your country's capabilities for staying ruling the world.<br />Un saludo, amigo.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-90783942010179743962009-10-09T10:38:51.571+08:002009-10-09T10:38:51.571+08:00Great post
It's frustrating being out here [a...Great post<br /><br />It's frustrating being out here [anywhere in Asia], and it being clear that the ground is shifting, and yet back home the size, strength and significance of the changes are simply not acknowledged.<br /><br />Haven't seen you touch on this story yet: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-demise-of-the-dollar-1798175.html<br />[My HTML tag skills suck]<br /><br />First paragraph:<br /><i>In the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, Gulf Arabs are planning – along with China, Russia, Japan and France – to end dollar dealings for oil, moving instead to a basket of currencies including the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for nations in the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.</i><br />Could be BS, but Robert Fisk and the Independent are not batshit crazy sourceslogatexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14226278990483993173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-62518150330366998432009-10-09T10:37:39.061+08:002009-10-09T10:37:39.061+08:00Very provocative analysis.
BarryVery provocative analysis.<br /><br />BarryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-59458983212542592592009-10-09T10:17:28.935+08:002009-10-09T10:17:28.935+08:00Great post Michael, thank you for the insight. I&#...Great post Michael, thank you for the insight. I've been reading many articles recently, focusing on China's embracing of new technologies echoing much the same historical importance and lack of US participation.<br /><br /> Here's a good one from Thomas Friedman posted a couple of weeks back in the NY post. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/opinion/27friedman.html?_r=1&em<br /><br />MickAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10698887.post-5959274178064496442009-10-09T09:53:32.175+08:002009-10-09T09:53:32.175+08:00Very clever!Very clever!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com