Forums: Empire Today

For a century, archeologists have been looking for a gate through a wall built by the Vikings in northern Europe. This summer, it was found. Researchers now believe the extensive barrier was built to protect an important trading route.Their attacks out of nowhere in rapid longboats have led many to call Vikings the inventors of the Blitzkrieg. "Like wild hornets," reads an ancient description, the Vikings would plunder monasteries and entire cities from Ireland to Spain. The fact that the Vikings, who have since found their place as droll comic book characters, were also avid masons is slightly less well...

As we counsel young men concerning military service, we must clarify for them our nation's role in Vietnam and challenge them with the alternative of conscientious objection. I am pleased to say that this is a path now chosen by more than seventy students at my own alma mater, Morehouse College, and I recommend it to all who find the American course in Vietnam a dishonorable and unjust one. Moreover, I would encourage all ministers of draft age to give up their ministerial exemptions and seek status as conscientious objectors. These are the times for real choices and not false...

New York - The Empire State Building was lit in red, white and blue on Thursday night for women's suffrage as more than 100 people protested a refusal by the iconic skyscraper's owner to mark Mother Teresa's 100th birthday. Yet the colors that the Catholic League had requested in her honor were the most luminous against the darkened skyline: The building's 203-foot pinnacle blazed a brilliant blue, while the stories just below glowed a frosty white. A fading red was just visible underneath. (Snip) But the building's owner, Anthony Malkin, declined the Catholic League's request to honor the ethnic Albanian

The West Is Facing A Debt Crisis And It's Now Or Never For The American Empire Gregory White May. 16, 2010, 12:28 PM Historian Niall Ferguson spoke with the Big Think about where the world's future is heading, with the end of the American Empire very much in the cards. Ferguson feels there is still a chance for Western dominance of the next age, if the U.S. can serious trim its budget deficit because it has a political advantage over China due to its pluralistic democracy. Ferguson also spoke with the BBC late last week on how the same issues...

Controversial South African president Jacob Zuma caused diplomatic embarrassment today by branding the British as 'old fashioned imperialists' - just hours before meeting the Queen. The visiting polygamist premier, 67, accused the UK of harbouring a feeling of cultural superiority he attributed to the country's colonial past. He spoke out over press reports in Britain which highlighted details of his colourful private life ahead of his state visit to London, which starts today.

I fear that this is the fall of the American empire. The way this echoes the fall of the Roman Empire is far too eerie. Decadence abounds. Everybody remembers that the fall of the Roman Empire entailed mass decadence and moral decay. The power of Rome dissipated through a lack of discipline, and an abandonment of the values that put Rome at the paragon of civilization. It was often said that during the decline of the Roman Empire, Romans refused to believe in their gods. The parallels with American society in 2010 are undeniable. America is obviously undergoing a similar...

When conservatives used to bash Bill Clinton their arguments usually centered on one thing — Monica Lewinsky. He lied to the American people! Clinton disgraced the office of the presidency! “Slick Willie!” Much like the popular culture they often claim to abhor, conservatives tend to focus on the personalities in politics rather than policy. I never cared much about Clinton’s relationship with Lewinsky. My greatest problem with our 42nd president was that he wasn’t much different from the 41st or 43rd. Under Clinton, the size of government grew, our worsening illegal immigration problem was ignored, the U.S. needlessly punished the...