Pentagon Studied Ancient Empires For Tips On Ruling The World

Mother Jones:

In the summer of 2002, the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment (ONA) published an 85-page monograph called "Military Advantage in History". Unusual for an office that is headed by Andrew Marshall, the Pentagon's "futurist in chief," the study looks back to the past--way back. It examines four empires, or "pivotal hegemonic powers in history," to draw lessons about how the United States "should think about maintaining military advantage in the 21st century." Though unclassified, the study was held close to the vest; a stamp on the cover limits its dissemination without permission. Mother Jones obtained it only through a Freedom of Information Act request. Though the report is far from revelatory, it provides a window into a mindset that unselfconsciously envisions the United States as the successor to some of history's most powerful empires.

The study looks a little like a high school text book, devoting chapters to Alexander the Great, Imperial Rome, Genghis Khan, and Napoleonic France and citing texts by Sun Tzu, Livy, and Jared Diamond. It attempts to break down exactly how historic empires sustained their military might across continents and even centuries. The study posits that the historical examples offer "insights into what drives U.S. military advantage," as well as "where U.S. vulnerabilities may lie, and how the United States should think about maintaining its military advantage in the future."

Read the whole story: Mother Jones

Comments

[Norge]

04:41 PM on 08/06/2008

http://www.killinghope.org

Post by Rolf Krogsæther

[smokeystover39]

01:00 PM on 08/06/2008

So-o-o-o military "intelligence" devines that maybe "WE" should be ready to rule the world?? Would this be the Fourth Reich Wing" or perhaps Pax Americana? We can't even run our own country - check how many are actually unemployed and those on food stamps. Ask the Iraqi's how they like drinking KBR typhus infected water. Run the world??? Great for "US" but the rest of the world will view it (as it should) as POX AMERICANA.

[barackobama4prez]

11:24 AM on 08/06/2008

right wing nutjobs....this is what happen when they are in power.

[gene1138]

10:20 AM on 08/06/2008

How about studying ancient empires and learning the leason to not try ruling the world?

[3fingerbrown]

08:40 AM on 08/06/2008

It's nice to see the Army admitting what commentators like Howard Zinn and Gore Vidal have been saying for decades: America is an empire, the modern equivalent of Rome in many respects.

But the fatal difference between the two is the American Empire's streak of puritanism, the belief that our way is the right way and therefore the heathens must be converted. The Romans were brutal, but they were wise and pragmatic enough to allow their conquered peoples to worship, govern, and organize themselves as they pleased, as long as they paid their taxes, kept the peace, and made token sacrifices in the emperor's honor (no big deal in a polytheistic world where people routinely sacrificed to each other's gods). Only puritans are foolish enough to try and force their belief systems down the throats of people who want no part of it, like, say, the Iraqis or the Vietnamese. It is the folly of America's stubborn missionary zeal for democracy and the Judeo-Christian ethic that so often causes unrest throughout our empire. We will have no Pax Americana until we learn the lesson of the Romans.

[MissingAmerica]

08:30 AM on 08/06/2008

There are two major points in these studies which they should have considered. First, we are not fighting with swords and stones (although we will be doing so for WW IV). Nor are we positioning horses for the kill -- we are using nuclear weapons! Second, and perhaps even more important, these empires failed, all for the same reason. The leaders became corrupted by greed and power, and lost the backing of their people. They made more enemies than allies. Perhaps that's what this administration and its Pentagon should have taken from these so-called studies.

[Norge]

06:20 AM on 08/06/2008

Yes, it is marshall who is behind the empire re-inforcing. They are very frightened people and justly so.
The terrible suffering which has been inflicted on so large a number of the world's people has left many enemies. All who have suffered at the hands of the likes of Marshall have relatives of which many will want reperations and rightly deserve such for example the VietNamese children now born blind and deformed from the chemicals America used in it's war in VietNam.

Sowing grief carries terrible consequences.

Rolf Krogsæther

[splendidbeast]

02:35 AM on 08/06/2008

In there study of empires did they skip the chapters about Afghanistan?

[ritenow]

01:14 AM on 08/06/2008

Did they read the part about the end of the empires?

[loki]

10:45 PM on 08/05/2008

PNAC, which most of the top people in the white house are top members of, have been pushing for world domination , aka " New World Order" with the US as supreme leader, since the 1990's. Rethugs like Reagan and Bush daddy pushed for it even before PNAC, but PNAC has the greatest influence, and is the most radically dangerous ever. Many in the Pentagon are PNAC as well. Rumsfield is a major member in PNAC, as is Cheney and Gates. Yes, Gates, who was brought in because it would make it easier to push war with Iran than it would be with Rummy who had been caught in his lies and deception. They figured Gates would be more believable. Anyway, its not hard to see why the US is hated world wide now. PNAC has plans that would be beyond even Hitlers dreams of world domination. Remove PNAC and its members, and we may have a chance for a safe future for everyone. but allow them to keep on doing as they are, and we are all doomed.

[wagadog]

10:36 PM on 08/05/2008

Guess they missed that little "lesson learned" from the decline and fall of the Roman Empire -- use of mercenaries.

[Erdgeist]

10:13 PM on 08/05/2008

When you are on top, the only place you can go is down.

[JRandomPoster]

09:25 PM on 08/05/2008

I'm just waiting to hear that GWB uses Civ to plan his policies. On easy mode. With cheat codes.

[Budokan]

08:58 PM on 08/05/2008

Did they play Rome: Total War, too? It's an awesome game.

[JRandomPoster]

08:51 PM on 08/05/2008

On declaring empire, Julias Caesar got Brutus.

We got Nancy Pelosi.

Shame.

[gappedtoothgodwarrior]

08:04 AM on 08/06/2008

Julius Ceaser never declared Empire.

That would be his great nephew Octavian