Is Change Required. An Economic Case Study of the Rise and Fall of Empires, and Why a National Strategic Narrative Could Change the Fate of the United States Empire

摘要

The United States of America is for all practical purposes an empire. It has territories separated by bodies of water that are under its control, the world's largest economy, and the ability to project its force with a large and powerful military. Like other empires, the United States is prone to follow the historical model of an imperial rise to power and a later fall from power. I hypothesize that the United States is on the verge of a fall from preeminence. This thesis intends to investigate the economic causes of the collapse of the Roman Empire and the British Empire to see if the United States is in a comparable situation. If the United States is falling from power, then it has two options: accept its fate, or, like the Romans and the British, change course and try to hold onto power as long as possible. These historical case studies may help the United States find solutions to some of the problems that it faces today. They provide some evidence that a change in fiscal policy as part of a larger National Strategic Narrative could change the fate of the empire of the United States.