The Arrogance of Empire
The ancient Greeks wrote often about hubris, arrogance, as a fatal flaw. It brought down the mightiest of kings and kingdoms. Today, U.S. armadas rule the seas and its jets and satellites control the skies. Its power is unchallenged. However, as Buddhism teaches, no condition is permanent. The seeds of the America’s eclipse are being sown now. It can be heard in voices like Michael Ledeen of the American Enterprise Institute. He is a frequent guest on all the talk shows. Ledeen boasted, “Every ten years or so, the U.S. needs to pick up some small, crappy little country and throw it against the wall, just to show the world we mean business.” He sounds like Tony Soprano, yet these types of views find a receptive audience in Washington.
Speaker
Michael Parenti
Michael Parenti was a leading independent political analyst, scholar, and author. Cornel West called him “a towering prophetic voice.” He taught at major colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books, including Democracy for the Few, Power and the Powerless, and Against Empire. He passed away on January 24, 2026, at the age of 92.
Questioning the Unquestionable
“It is not demanded of readers that they embrace my views, but that they reflect upon their own. How seldom we bother to explore in some critical fashion the fundamental preconceptions that shape our understanding of social and political life. How frequently, as if by reflex rather than reflection, we respond to certain cues and incantations, resisting any incongruous notion. Our opinions shelter and support us; it is an excruciating effort to submit them to reappraisal. Yet if we are to maintain some pretense at being rational creatures, we must risk the discomfiture that comes with questioning the unquestionable, and try to transcend our tendencies toward mental confinement.” – Michael Parenti
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