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.