Those who Forget the Past Are Condemed To Repeat It

                     THOSE WHO FORGET THE PAST ARE CONDEMNED TO REPEAT IT

Many factors contributed to Rome's decline, such as political instability, military defeats, economic crises, social decay, and cultural assimilation

The most straightforward theory for Western Rome’s collapse pins the fall on a string of military losses sustained against outside forces. in 476, the Germanic leader Odoacer staged a revolt and deposed Emperor Romulus Augustulus. From then on, no Roman emperor would ever again rule from a post in Italy, leading many to cite 476 as the year the Western Empire suffered its death blow.

Even as Rome was under attack from outside forces, it was also crumbling from within thanks to a severe financial crisis. Constant wars and overspending had significantly lightened imperial coffers, and oppressive taxation and inflation had widened the gap between rich and poor.

In the fifth century, when the Vandals claimed North Africa and began disrupting the empire’s trade by prowling the Mediterranean as pirates. With its economy faltering and its commercial and agricultural production in decline, the Empire began to lose its grip on Europe.

The fate of Western Rome was partially sealed in the late third century, when Emperor Diocletian divided the Empire into two halves—the Western Empire seated in the city of Milan, and the Eastern Empire in Byzantium, later known as Constantinople. The division made the empire more easily governable in the short term, but over time the two halves drifted apart. East and West failed to adequately work together to combat outside threats, and the two often squabbled over resources and military aid. As the gulf widened, the largely Greek-speaking Eastern Empire grew in wealth while the Latin-speaking West descended into an economic crisis.

At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Euphrates River in the Middle East, but its grandeur may have also been its downfall. With such a vast territory to govern, the empire faced an administrative and logistical nightmare. As more and more funds were funneled into the military upkeep of the empire, technological advancement slowed and Rome’s civil infrastructure fell into disrepair.

If Rome’s sheer size made it difficult to govern, ineffective and inconsistent leadership only served to magnify the problem. Civil war thrust the empire into chaos.  The political rot also extended to the Roman Senate, which failed to temper the excesses of the emperors due to its own widespread corruption and incompetence. As the situation worsened, civic pride waned and many Roman citizens lost trust in their leadership.

The Barbarian attacks on Rome partially stemmed from a mass migration caused by the Huns’ invasion of Europe in the late fourth century, The Romans grudgingly allowed members of the Visigoth tribe to cross south of the Danube and into the safety of Roman territory,With the Western Empire weakened, Germanic tribes like the Vandals and the Saxons were able to surge across its borders and occupy Britain, Spain and North Africa.

The decline of Rome dovetailed with the spread of Christianity, The Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in 313, and it later became the state religion in 380. These decrees ended centuries of persecution, but they may have also eroded the traditional Roman values system. Popes and other church leaders took an increased role in political affairs, further complicating governance. While the spread of Christianity may have played a small role in curbing Roman civic virtue, most scholars now argue that its influence paled in comparison to military, economic and administrative factors.

For most of its history, Rome’s military was the envy of the ancient world. But during the decline, the makeup of the once mighty legions began to change.  The ranks of the legions eventually swelled with Germanic Goths and other barbarians, While these Germanic soldiers of fortune proved to be fierce warriors, they also had little or no loyalty to the empire, and their power-hungry officers often turned against their Roman employers. In fact, many of the barbarians who sacked the city of Rome and brought down the Western Empire had earned their military stripes while serving in the Roman legions.

                 

                          With Peru port project, China gains a foothold in America’s backyard

CHANCAY, Peru — Life in this centuries-old fishing town on Peru’s Pacific coast is about to be transformed.A massive deep-water port for container ships is being built in Chancay, about 45 miles north of Lima, and it is being financed largely by China, Peru’s largest trading partner. The port will host some of the biggest cargo ships in the world and serve as an economic beachhead for China in Latin America, a region historically dominated by the United States where Beijing’s investment and influence is growing.                                                                                                                         U.S. officials have reportedly raised concerns with Peru that Chinese investment in the port could have national security implications, given Xi’s oft-mentioned ambition of turning China into a “maritime superpower.” The port’s builder says it is for commercial use only."                                                                                                     Miriam Arce, a community leader whose father was a fisherman, has a different concern:“Both countries are in conflict,” said Arce, a 52-year-old artist. “We are in the middle of this conflict. And Chancay is very small.”

                                              

Ex-spy says US should be concerned by Russian ships visiting Cuba as Kremlin insists ‘nothing to worry about’

Former KGB spy Jack Barsky, who spent a decade spying for the Soviet Union in the US before he was discovered by the FBI, told NewsNation that the US should be “worried” after Russia sent three warships and a nuclear-powered submarine into Cuban waters – just 90 miles from Florida – on Tuesday for routine military exercises.“                                                                                                                              You can’t look at this as just a routine exercise. It has to be seen against the background where Putin is stating that he’s actually fighting the West in the Ukraine,” he said.                                                                                                                                     The Pentagon has maintained that it is not worried about the deployment of the ships, saying that they pose no threat because the deployment is part of routine naval activity. Cuba has also said the deployment poses no threat.                                But Barsky said he disagreed with the Pentagon and Cuba’s stance. “Everything that Putin does is sending messaging, particularly threatening ones,” Barsky said, adding that Putin “likes to scare people,                                                                                                                                Barsky added that his fear stems from the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when the fear of nuclear war paralyzed America for nearly two weeks.“With this kind of tension that we have, there’s always the possibility of an accidental launch,” Barsky said. “I’m worried about that.”Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Wesley Clark shared similar remarks on NewsNation’s “The Hill” on Tuesday, arguing that while Russia’s presence in Cuba’s waters does not signal war, it is clearly a show of strength by Putin who is trying to send a message to the world as the war in Ukraine continues.

(History of Rome from HISTORY)