You seem to have conveniently left out what happened after the Athenians invaded Melos; they executed all men of fighting age, and sold the women and children into slavery- hardly an ideal for Americans to strive for.
Perhaps the Athenians should’ve ruled themselves with the virtues expounded by Socrates (whom they murdered, yet whose dialogs inspired the US founding fathers).
True leadership cannot be coerced, followers can only be led by invitation.
This also follows the writings by French philosopher Alexis De Tocqueville who observed (paraphrasing) “America is great, because America is good. Once America ceases to be good, it will cease to be great”
I would also argue it was Pericles’ hubris that *quickly* led to Athens’ downfall.
I completely agree, this also proves exactly what is mentioned at the end of the article that an empire in order to sustain must not let its core principles slip that led to its existence.
What Athenians did after invading Melos was quite contrary to their original values and principles.
The Melian Dialogue critique is valid but kind of misses the article's point. The piece isn't endorsing brutality but analyzing why empires form - security vacuums pulling in the strongest power. The comparison works because both Athens and postwar US didn't plan hegemony, they inherited it. The decay mechanism is interesting - when imperial powers lose the disipline that built them, challengers emerge. Rome lasted centuries, Athens barely decades, which suggests the renewal part matters way more than initial conquest.
You seem to have conveniently left out what happened after the Athenians invaded Melos; they executed all men of fighting age, and sold the women and children into slavery- hardly an ideal for Americans to strive for.
Perhaps the Athenians should’ve ruled themselves with the virtues expounded by Socrates (whom they murdered, yet whose dialogs inspired the US founding fathers).
True leadership cannot be coerced, followers can only be led by invitation.
This also follows the writings by French philosopher Alexis De Tocqueville who observed (paraphrasing) “America is great, because America is good. Once America ceases to be good, it will cease to be great”
I would also argue it was Pericles’ hubris that *quickly* led to Athens’ downfall.
I completely agree, this also proves exactly what is mentioned at the end of the article that an empire in order to sustain must not let its core principles slip that led to its existence.
What Athenians did after invading Melos was quite contrary to their original values and principles.
The Melian Dialogue critique is valid but kind of misses the article's point. The piece isn't endorsing brutality but analyzing why empires form - security vacuums pulling in the strongest power. The comparison works because both Athens and postwar US didn't plan hegemony, they inherited it. The decay mechanism is interesting - when imperial powers lose the disipline that built them, challengers emerge. Rome lasted centuries, Athens barely decades, which suggests the renewal part matters way more than initial conquest.