newYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
In the ancient world, the Pax Romana was a legendary historical period during which the Western world, under the influence of the Roman Empire, enjoyed 200 years of relative peace, stability, and prosperity. boom. Beginning its foundation during the reign of Caesar Augustus and ending with the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Pax Romana was characterized by low levels of violence, increased trade and territorial expansion that saw Rome preside over about a third of the world's population.
Since that time, there have been a number of eras bearing the same name, but none have been as dynamic as the current era: the Pax Americana. Pax Americana usually dates back to the end of World War II in 1945, an era of peace, prosperity, and progress that American power has brought to the world since partnering with our allies to eradicate fascism and confront communism. Many expected this era to peak with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and end with the Iraq War in the early 2000s. But as Pax Americana turns 80, it now appears alive, well, and poised to secure a second American century.
This is an unashamedly good thing. Americans are beginning to lose confidence in their institutions, but they should not doubt the magnitude of their institutions good Their country was created for the world. American hegemony over the world has unleashed the most sustained period in world history. The seeds of Pax Americana go back to the end of the Civil War when the United States purged its evil and more liberal establishment, and the United States quickly entered a period of industrialization and transformation. Businessmen like Rockefeller and Carnegie became some of the richest men in history, with Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company dominating the world oil market. America began to play an important political and economic role at the international level. American leaders like Washington and Lincoln loomed large in the international imagination. Teddy Roosevelt won the Nobel Prize for negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War. The United States played a decisive role in World War I. While Woodrow Wilson's mistakes contributed greatly to the outbreak of World War II, by 1945 America was the most powerful nation in history.
Economically, we peaked at more than 50% of Global GDP It owns 80% of the world's hard currency reserves. We have developed a radically transformed industrial and scientific base that has made the United States the world's leading innovator and exporter. Our universities have emerged as the best universities in the world. American culture, as conveyed by Hollywood, spread like wildfire across foreign lands. We also developed the most terrifying weapon in history, and our army was absolutely unparalleled, suffering far fewer casualties than countries like Russia, Germany, and Japan.
Gunner in a US Army tank. (Credit: US Army)
What did we do with this power? Almost any other country in history would have used it to crush the world into submission. The Americans didn't do that. Through the Marshall Plan, we distributed tax money to rebuild Europe. America did not actually seize any territory. We stopped using our superior weapons after we ended the war in the Pacific. America helped rebuild Japan, then returned it to the Japanese. Then we developed military agreements and global aid programs that allowed the world to stand firm against the horrors of Soviet and Chinese communism. The biggest black marks in the post-war era were the mass murders and horrific local famines that occurred during the era of Stalin and Mao, outside the American security umbrella. American inventors like Norman Borlaug have helped lift billions out of poverty. We have put men on the moon. The world has entered an era that is safer, healthier and wealthier than any other era in human history.
Although the United States does not currently boast the level of dominance it had after emerging from the ashes of World War II, we are still the dominant power in the world. We represent 4% of the world's population and 26% of GDP. As other developed countries in Europe and Asia slowed, we continued to accelerate — so much so that countries like Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany now rank among America's poorest states. Half of the world's largest startups are American companies, founded by both native-born citizens and recent immigrants. We are now so dominant in the most important areas of global innovation – artificial intelligence, aerospace, robotics, biotechnology and a series of others – that we often outperform the rest of the world combined. Our Army remains the greatest and most advanced fighting force in history. Our natural resources and local production capabilities make us one of the most resource-blessed and self-sufficient countries in the world. The dollar is still the world's currency. Our universities continue to excel. Our elections and our culture are monitored almost as much internationally as they are on our own shores. We have maintained our moral foundation much better than most of our peers.
On the other hand, America's competitors faltered. The Soviet Union, which felt so threatened at mid-century – the modern Russian state, a sad oligarchy echo of the evil empire that once threatened to enslave Europe – has collapsed. Japan, a (friendly) economic rival in the 1980s, entered a decades-long period of stagnation, even as America roared. The European Union, which was founded in the 1990s to compete (although an ally) with the United States, has similarly stagnated, with only a few countries (such as non-EU member Switzerland) managing to keep up. India and China have proven more intent on growth, but neither has emerged as a real competitor. China He is the closest but shows signs of weakness. Rumors of internal debt problems persisted (bad debts had been a feature of “planned” economies for a long time) and its economy slowed. Now the inhumane “one-child policy” is crushing China's population growth, threatening to more than halve China's population by the end of this century. The Communist Party has tightened its political grip over its people in a way that has crushed any fragile shoots of freedom. China finds itself allied primarily with the outcast dictators of North Korea, Iran and Russia even as NATO regains its strength. The operating system of Pax Americana—a fundamental belief in personal liberty, representative government, free enterprise, and human ingenuity—is one that no dictatorship can match.
Wall Street Bull (Fox News Photo/Joshua Cummins)
America has stumbled at times. Our leadership is far from perfect. We have fought wars we were not supposed to fight. Our internal political system has faltered and become rigid. Our commitment to free speech and a free press has been challenged politically by those in our government who eschew the First Amendment, and culturally by corporations and media organizations that would sacrifice their freedoms and independence too quickly to the temptations of power.
But we are almost shockingly good for a nation of our strength. We continue to develop our country based on shared ideals rather than bloodlines. We are perhaps the most tolerant and racially and ethnically diverse large country in the world, and within a generation, most newcomers consider themselves and are considered Americans by others – not Koreans, Indians, Britons or Argentines. We are the largest funder of both international foundations (through our government) and international philanthropy (through the generosity of our people). We use our dominant military power sparingly. We drive or create most of the world's medical innovations and technological advances. And perhaps most importantly, through our military might and the strength of our allies, we will remain this world's defense against the aggression and violence of those who want to strip others of their freedoms rather than support them. If you have any doubt about the desirability of Pax Americana, just imagine American military and economic dominance in the hands of China, Russia, or Iran. It will be a darker and radically different world.
There are internal threats to our power. Our debts and deficit spending can cripple us. Our political dysfunction risks eroding our wonderful legal institutions, which have been strong for more than 200 years. Our people may lose our sense of shared values and our confidence in the righteousness of our cause. We may collapse culturally into the kind of economic and social stagnation that afflicts most developed countries today. We can fragment and balkanize as a country instead of uniting it.
But I don't think we will do that. We have faced these threats before. And time and time again, government has persisted “by, by, and for the people”—where our freedoms and creativity allow us to stay two steps ahead of the dark forces that threaten our world. With any luck, the era of unparalleled peace, fostered by an ever more perfect union in Rome, will continue unabated, allowing billions to prosper and prosper.
Trust, Americans. Be optimistic. As the United States approaches its quarter-millennium, Pax Americana endures. Our challenge now, as it has always been, is to preserve that wonderful era of peace and prosperity and to keep America—and the world—good and great.
