[lbo-talk] Iraq: How Do We Explain Imperialist Ineptitude?

[snitilicious at tampabay.rr.com]

At 07:33 PM 4/7/2004, Dwayne Monroe wrote:


>Were the Romans this stupid about human nature?  Were
>the Brits?

heh.

"But in this summer of 2001, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's office "sponsored 
a study of ancient empires­Macedonia, Rome, the Mongols­to figure out how 
they maintained dominance." [New York Times 3/5/03]"

 From this:

        Thomas Donnelly, Deputy Executive Director of the Project for the 
New American Century, an influential neoconservative think tank, explains 
to the Washington Post that the US should embrace its role as imperialist 
hegemons over the world. He says many important politicians privately agree 
with him. "There's not all that many people who will talk about it openly," 
he says. "It's discomforting to a lot of Americans. So they use code 
phrases like 'America is the sole superpower.'" He also says, "I think 
Americans have become used to running the world and would be very reluctant 
to give it up, if they realized there were a serious challenge to it." 
[Washington Post, 8/21/01] These types of policies are denounced in Bush's 
2000 election, and it is frequently claimed that the Bush Administration 
only changes its mind toward a more aggressive policy after 9/11. But in 
this summer of 2001, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's office "sponsored a study 
of ancient empires­Macedonia, Rome, the Mongols­to figure out how they 
maintained dominance." [New York Times 3/5/03]

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/context.jsp?item=a082101pnac