THE QUESTION

A new bestseller in the U.S. asks: "Are we Rome?" That's our question to end this July 4 week: Is America Rome?

Posted by David Ignatius on July 6, 2007 10:43 AM

FROM THE PANEL

Soli Ozel teaches at Istanbul Bilgi University's Department of International Relations and Political Science. He is a columnist for the national daily Sabah and is senior advisor to the chairman of theTurkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association. He is the editor of TUSIAD's magazine Private View and the editor of the Turkish edition of Foreign Policy a journal published by the Carnegie Endowment in the USA.

Without Justice and Order, An Empire Cannot Rule

America's imperial temptations and its democratic ideals have long pulled the nation in opposite directions. The U.S. invaded Iraq in the name of liberty and justice, but not only did it violate its own declared values, it failed to bring about the most important outcome that legitimizes the rule of an empire: order.

Soli Ozel Istanbul, Turkey | 30 COMMENTS
Jul 8, 2007 at 8:05 PM
Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff is a Senior Director at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a transatlantic public policy and grant-making foundation. He overseas the fund's policy programs. He was previously the Washington bureau chief of the German newsweekly, Die Zeit.

The Abuse of "Empire"

In the recent past, nothing has fascinated theorists more than the idea of America as an empire. There has never been anything quite like America's dominance of the world, they argue. Just look at defense spending, economic power and cultural attraction. But the term "empire" may be overused, one that doesn't fit today's U.S.-led democratic political order.

Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff Germany | 15 COMMENTS
Jul 8, 2007 at 3:39 PM
Dr. Ali Ettefagh serves as a director of Highmore Global Corporation, an investment company in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, CIS, and the Middle East. He is the co-author of several books on trade conflict, resolution of international trade disputes, conflicts in letters of credit, trade-related banking transactions, sovereign debt, arbitration and dispute resolutions and publications specific to the oil and gas, communication, aviation and finance sectors. Dr. Ettefagh is a member of the executive committee and the board of directors of The Development Foundation, an advisor to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, and an advisor to a number of European companies. Dr. Ettefagh speaks Persian (Farsi), English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish.

Interdependent World Needs Even Turf

The Romans didn’t have what America has today: military programs and cooperation with more than 110 countries around the globe, instant communication via satellite, the Internet. America's fall would have a huge impact on the world. We need to redefine common values and multilateral structures to preserve our common interests.

Ali Ettefagh Tehran, Iran | 63 COMMENTS
Jul 7, 2007 at 9:58 AM
Lamis Andoni is a Middle East consultant for Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news station. She has been covering the Middle East for 20 years. She has reported for the Christian Science Monitor, the Financial Times and the main newspapers in Jordan. She was a professor at the Graduate School in UC Berkeley.

Unquestioned Right to Dominate

The fact that Rome was not a democracy or did not have high-tech weapons to increase its destructive power does not make America exceptional among empires. All empires reach a point where aggression and subversion become an unquestioned entitlement, subverting their own moral institutions, and this self-serving morality leads to their fall.

Lamis Andoni Doha, Qatar | 218 COMMENTS
Jul 6, 2007 at 10:38 AM
Leon Krauze is a Mexican blogger and a founder of letraslibres.com.

Not Roman Military, but Same Arrogance

There are many ways in which America does resemble Rome: increasing mistrust of government, fear of immigrants, even Paris Hilton would fit right in among the decadent Roman elite. But one particularly worrisome similarity came through in a recent presidential debate: a striking lack of humility.

Leon Krauze Mexico | 93 COMMENTS
Jul 6, 2007 at 10:04 AM

READER RESPONSE

» Cullen Murphy | As the author of the book under discussion ("Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America") I've been following the conversation here wi...
» A Different Take on Things | The two bloggers and everyone who responded to them mentioned the concept of American arrogance. I don't disagree with that. One of the reasons I le...
» pepper logan | As I approach the big six zero (60) I have gone full circle in my feelings about America's place in the world. Early 50s and 60s idiallic and innocent...
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