Reply #61: Thanks for the reminder that past empires have dissolved themselves. And for the

[bertman]

encouragement.

Didn't those past empires dissolve because the cost of empire was so great? Wasn't it a combination of the unrest in the colonies, plus the high cost of maintaining the imperial armies and navies that motivated Britain and Holland to relinquish their imperial assets? Also, it seems that they had set up a strong network of mercantile relationships that still allowed them to benefit financially from some, if not all, of their former colonies. That mercantile element still exists in many countries today despite the efforts in some nations--Zimbabwe comes to mind--to eliminate the last vestiges of colonial rule that were manifested in the farming enterprises that had been established and handed down for generations to the heirs of colonists. Many of the mineral extraction companies in the former colonies are still owned by companies that were part of the original imperial structure.

Your point about the UN is a good one. That organization has steadily lost favor in the U.S. for many reasons, not the least of which is our right-wing's steady media campaign to denigrate the good work that the UN has done.