DEMOCRACIES FAIL...
POLAND IN THE 1600'S IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE DANGER OF DYSFUNCTIONAL DEMOCRACY...
I THINK THE BEST HISTORICAL MODEL FOR AMERICAN COLLAPSE...IS CONSTANTINOPLE BEFORE 1453 AND THE OTTOMAN TAKEOVER...
CONSTANTINOPLE WAS DYSFUNCTIONAL FOR A LONG LONG TIME... CONSTANTINOPLE HAD LONG GOOD BYE REALLY... BUT THE CONSTANTINOPLE ELITES... FOUGHT LIKE HELL TO THE BITTER AND INEVITABLE END.
THE COLLAPSE OF ROME WAS MORE SUDDEN AND QUICK...
ROME DID NOT FALL FORM CONQUEST...THEY JUST QUIT LOCKING THE DOOR AT NIGHT...BECAUSE NO ONE REALLY CARED ANYMORE...
AMERICAN DECLINE WILL MORE RESEMBLE THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE THAN THE FALL OF ROME...
THIS FIXATION WITH "ROME" IS REALLY NOT VERY HELPFUL...
GO EAST TO SEE SOME BETTER MODELS OF THE DECLINE OF GREAT POWERS...
