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
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Authors
Cirillo, Jonathan D.
Subjects
Fiscal Policy
Grand Strategy
Empire
Collapse
Complexity
Sustainability
National Strategic Narrative
Mr. X
Mr. Y
Rome
Roman Empire
Britain
British Empire
United States of America
United States Empire
Taxes
Budgeting
Grand Strategy
Empire
Collapse
Complexity
Sustainability
National Strategic Narrative
Mr. X
Mr. Y
Rome
Roman Empire
Britain
British Empire
United States of America
United States Empire
Taxes
Budgeting
Advisors
Czarnecki, Jonathan E.
Date of Issue
2011-12
Date
December 2011
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
Abstract
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, has the world's largest economy, and it has the ability to project its force with a large and powerful military. Like other empires, the U.S. 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. By comparing the United States with the Roman and British Empires, I intend to research the economic causes behind the collapse of these two empires and 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 British, change course and try to continue to hold onto power as long as possible. The United States can learn something by studying the successes and mistakes made by previous world powers. By studying older world powers, this thesis will attempt to compare current problems the U.S. faces to those problems that Rome and Great Britain faced in their respective eras. This thesis will use these two historical case studies to find solutions to some of the problems that the U.S. faces today, and make a case for how new fiscal policy as a part of a larger National Strategic Narrative might change the fate of the empire of the United States of America.
Type
Thesis
Description
Series/Report No
Department
Business & Public Policy (GSBPP)
Organization
Identifiers
NPS Report Number
Sponsors
Funder
Format
xviii, 240 p. ; 28 cm.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.