If you were to stop a Roman around the year 117 A.D. and ask about the future of the empire, he/she would probably boast that they were the greatest empire in the history of the world, and the Roman Empire would last forever. In 117 it would be hard to see it any other way. The Romans were on top of the world. Yet starting around the 200s, serious infighting began hurting their power from within. By the end of the 300s, they had spread themselves too thin, spent too much money, leaders were corrupt, and they began to lose battles to traditionally lesser foes. By the end of the 400s, Rome was no more.
While the high-water mark of the Roman Empire was 117, I am now wondering if the American high-water mark was 1945. In 116 the Romans had just conquered Parthia, marking their furthermost expansion. For the U.S., 1945 marked America’s greatest victory, but in some ways its last. In 1945 the U.S. completely defeated the “empires” of Germany, Japan, and Italy. Over the next 76 years, America engaged in four major wars. In two of the wars, Korea and the Gulf War, the U.S. repulsed a foreign invader from an ally’s country, but did not defeat the enemy itself. In both circumstances, the government claimed all out-defeat was never part of the plan. In the other two wars, Vietnam and now the War on Terror against Iraq and Afghanistan, America lost.
I am not commenting on whether we should have pulled out of Afghanistan. Each person should make their own decision, but I would like to give some historical perspective and maybe offer a thought. Historically speaking, it is not that we lost a war that is bothering some. It’s that we went 8-0 before 1945 and now have lost two conflicts within two generations.
It is also the way we exited both losses. I was too young to remember the fall of Saigon. I was not even a year old, but now, having taught this many times and showing numerous videos, the images are permanently ingrained in my mind. The day was April 28, 1975, and suddenly the North Vietnamese army was entering Saigon. They were at the airport making it impossible to land any American planes. The song “White Christmas” began playing over the radio, which was the signal for all Americans to pull out. News crews ...
