Is America another doomed empire? Can we avoid
the decline and demise of empire that has been the pattern of the
past? John Bagot Glubb, English scholar and former soldier, provides
a historical analysis of the life history of empires (great nations) that is
sobering and cautionary in a monograph,
"The Fate of Empires and Search for Survival," published in Blackwood
Magazine in 1976.
Glubb,
as a historicist, devotes his long essay to a study of patterns
of empires that he defines as great or superpowers in history, from the
Assyrian in 859–612 B.C. to Britain, 1700–1950 A.D. Glubb asserts
that "(a) in spite of accidents of fortune and the apparent circumstances
of the human race at different epochs, the periods of duration of different
empires at varied epochs show a remarkable similarity. (b) immense changes in
the technology of transport or in methods of warfare do not seem to affect the life
expectation an empire." He says technical changes affect only
the size and shape of an empire.
Can
we make America great again, or are we doomed? Let's
take a look at what Glubb found to be characteristic of great nations in
decline, bound for failure. First, a little about the school
of Historicism that
asserts that human behavior is best studied as history. It's
straightforward — study humans to understand humans. Study human social
and political groups to understand them.
Hegelian
Historicism is the name given to
Historicism posited by Georg W.F. Hegel, who asserted that societies are
defined and determined by their history — that knowledge of the history of a
society or political entity is essential, that history reveals human activities
and provides insight into human individual and group motivations and
reactions. Hegel also built his famous dialectic on Historicism —
the pattern of action, reaction, and resolution that he labeled
thesis/antithesis/synthesis. When studying the human condition, the
dialectic certainly is useful, and proper study of history is
essential. Hegel said the discipline of philosophy is really the
study of the history of philosophy.
Karl
Popper, respected philosopher of science, pointed out that Historicism may
imply determinism, but free will is in play, and individuals, societies,
nations can choose well to their advantage and avoid self-destructive choices
and behavior. We'd better.
John
Bagot Glubb was the classic Brit, born in 1897, son of a British Royal
Engineers officer, commissioned in the Royal Engineers in April 1915, served in
WWI, was wounded three times, then volunteered for service in Iraq as a regular
officer but resigned his commission and went to work as an administrator in the
Iraq government. In 1930, he signed a contract to work for Jordan
(then called Transjordan), and from 1939 to 1956, he commanded the famous
Jordan Arab Legion (actually the Jordanian Army). After he retired
with the honorific Middle Eastern title Glubb Pasha, he wrote
many books and essays and was a widely traveled lecturer because of his
erudition, scholarship, and personal experiences in the Middle East.
Glubb,
in the monograph that is our point of discussion, undertook to demonstrate his
hypothesis and the evidence that supports his assertion that empires pass
through the following ages: Pioneers, Conquests, Commerce, Affluence,
Intellect, Decadence.
The
Age of Decadence he portrays as "marked by: Defensiveness, Pessimism,
Materialism, Frivolity, An Influx of Foreigners, The
Welfare State and Weakening of Religion."
Glubb
Pasha posits that "[d]ecadence is due to: Too long a period of wealth and
power-Selfishness-Love of Money-The loss of a sense of duty."
He
points out that the way empires crash and burn varies because it is usually
brought about by external forces.
Glubb's
detailing of the character of a nation or empire in the various stages is
compelling — he nails so many things down, and his essay is a rollicking good
time at only 24 pages long. Even those who hate long papers will
find this very to read — Glubb has a talent to write, and his subject is
important to you and to me. The survival of our country is the
consideration.
Glubb's
essay is pertinent because the Age of Decadence is upon us. Glubb
makes the case that empires run out of gas because of internal decline and
decadence. The typical life expectancy of empires, according to
Glubb, is 250 years — about ten generations. Without a change in
direction, America will become another casualty to the process — a lesser
player, suffering the "used to be" syndrome.
John Dale Dunn, M.D., J.D. is an emergency and corrections physician amd
inactive attorney in Brownwood, Texas.
