Why amurica

Smil's book, tightly argued and rigorously documented, is a concise and persuasive scientific demolition of the Rome-America parallel, totally deflating the usefulness of the analogy as a tool of historical analysis.

Why America is Not a New Rome is a much-needed corrective. Vaclav Smil. Search Search. Search Advanced Search close Close. Add to Cart Buying Options. Request Permissions Exam copy. The story of the American Revolution begins in our colonial past, when freedom as we understand it was not yet imagined. The people of colonial British America lived in a society characterized by deep and pervasive inequalities.

Women were subordinated to men, their talents stifled, their natural rights ignored and their civil rights denied. Indentured servitude was common and enslavement was practiced throughout the colonies, as it was through much of the Atlantic world. They were subjects of a king, not citizens of a republic. The wealthy and privileged among them had few opportunities to participate in government.

Women, the poor and the enslaved had none at all. Colonial British Americans enjoyed few of the rights we take for granted, including freedom of expression and of religion. They lived in a world of grotesque injustice, darkness and oppression. The American Revolution grew from a colonial protest over new imperial regulations into a broad challenge to the authority of the British government to rule the colonies. For generations the colonists had managed their own affairs, largely free of interference from the British government.

They believed that the new laws and policies introduced by the British government violated their rights. They evaded the new laws, protested their enforcement and demanded their repeal. British officials gave way on some measures, only to follow up with new taxes, new regulations and military force to compel the colonists to accept their authority. Resistance to imperial regulation and taxation ultimately resulted in a unified challenge to British authority over of the colonies.

On many issues, Bennett sounds like Netanyahu. Moreover, the view of Israel is changing in the United States, particularly among younger Jews. They are less committed to Israel than their parents. Begin with expansion of settlements. When the government in late October authorized the building of some 3, homes in the West Bank, it knew it would anger the Biden administration, which says this weakens any prospect of a two-state solution.

Then there is the reopening of the U. Consulate in Jerusalem, serving Palestinians. Trump closed it. Biden wants it. Israelis oppose it. Lastly, the renewal of the Iranian anti-nuclear agreement. Trump withdrew the U. Biden is trying to reinstate it. Another flashpoint. It gives Israel access to advanced military equipment such as F fighter planes. And missile defence, especially the fabled Iron Dome. Curiously, though, Israel may no longer need it. The reasons? Israel is more secure than it was, having made peace with many neighbours.

It also makes its own weapons.