EconAir

Carrie Nation - Prohibitionist INTRODUCTION The recent acrimonious debate over the debt ceiling and possible U.S. government default is way out of proportion to the issue involved.   This is common in American history.   Examples include a small tax on tea and whether the U.S. should have silver coins.   What is often at stake is something much more fundamental. RELIGION IN AMERICA There is an interesting dynamic in the history of Protestantism in America .   As different Protestant churches became the “established” or mainstream churches, Americans have turned away to form and join more evangelical or Pentecostal churches and sects.   The large and sudden popularity of Baptists and Methodists in the first half of the 19 th century was partly a reaction to the less fervent Puritan (Congregational) and Episcopal churches.   As Methodist and some Baptists groups became less evangelical and more “mainstream,” there were numerous ...

Roman Legion Why Study Rome? Americans have focused on comparisons between Rome and America twice in American history.  The first time was during the period from before the Revolution to after the ratification of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, when the founding fathers and others looked to the Roman Republic for ideas and inspiration on how to structure the new government. After the American Revolution, the founding fathers, having read the Roman authors detailing the collapse of the Roman republic, worried about internal threats to the survival of their new republic.   The second time was when the United States became a superpower, especially after WWII, and then again after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Commentators compared America to the Roman Empire at the height of its power. There was some discussion about how America became a permanent warfare state and how it affected domestic democracy and civil society. ...

There are two kinds of empires: the kind that rules through ruthless exploitation, and the kind that seeks to induce allies into defending themselves through economic incentives. (George Friedman) INTRODUCTION America's power and influence in the world rests on three broad, interrelated bases: 1) Overwhelming military power that can be projected anywhere in the world,   supplemented by security arrangements with allies and supporters. 2) A large, innovative, dynamic domestic economy as the basis for global economic and technological leadership. The economy provides the resources and technology to support the military and a global foreign policy. 3) Claims to moral and ideological leadership and influence, particularly the promotion of liberal democratic societies and supporting political institutions. This post will discuss the economic aspects and related security objectives of American foreign policy. It will focus on the structure of the global...