America and Athens?

While weapons and man may change, the conflicts remain the same: two sides fighting over land, power, religion, or conflicting ideals. Blood is always shed, and rarely is either side happy with their lot in the aftermath. Such is the proud nature of man. Even today, parallels exist between ours and the ancient worlds. History repeats itself, and nowhere today is that more obvious than the United States and ancient Athens, two extremely powerful nations that had and have true hegemony over the civilized world of man.

Both Athens and the US boast powerful republics, with Athens standing as the first true democracy of man and the US designing a government based heavily on the Athenian ideals. These systems serve well to maintain peace among the people and aid in decision making to further the interests of the nation. Neither system is perfect, even with the 1,500 year boost that the Framers of the United States Constitution had. They have “strong tradition[s] of being a maritime power[s],” and have extreme global impact on every other society within their reach, creating conflict that is very similar for both nations.[1] The United States is the “international police power” of the western world, maintaining a constant presence on land, air, sea, and the cyber domain at all hours of the day.[2] The Athenian equivalent to this was the Delian League, their so-called alliance that they created with many other nations in the Aegean Sea. While it is true that the Athenians maintained a much more tyrannical rule of their League compared to the humanitarian and quiet presence of the American global presence, they both played the same role as the world power and they maintained conflict due to this position for many decades.

The true struggle that came from the Delian league was the Peloponnesian War, a long struggle between Athens and Sparta. “The growth if the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired” in Sparta was the catalyst for the war.[3] This can also be seen from Russia and China as a response to America’s power, with them trying to undermine and come out on top of the US. While it must be stated that, in the case of this conflict and the way in which Athens governed its territory, America and Athens are on opposite sides of this situation. America could be seen as more similar to Sparta, attempting to stop the inane rule of an all-powerful city-state that is holding the rest of the world hostage.

Athens played a very selfish role as a power, something that fits more rightly with the time. Aspects such as equality and empathy were few and far between in the past, but now are commonplace. It is blatantly apparent that Athens and America play very similar roles in the world that they are in, but the decisions that Athens made put them down a more negative and self-important path. America is a much more righteous nation, using their influence for good rather than bad. Their decisions may differ, but Athens and America had very similar encounters due to who they were and the role that they played.

Cyrus Malek-Madani

Word Count: 550

[1] “America Is Athens and That Should Scare You.” American Greatness. February 28, 2018. Accessed April 08, 2019. https://amgreatness.com/2018/02/28/america-athens-scare/.

[2] Roosevelt Corollary.

[3] History of the Peloponnesian War, Book I, 1.23

China Rising

Understanding the past is the key for responding to the future. Knowledge of history of significant civilizations is an invaluable resource in order to respond to modern-day issues in the military. Specifically, the rise of China in the 21^st century is a result of its desire to return to prosperity, and as future officers, we need to be able to understand its rich history and respond appropriately to any threats it poses.

For example, the Qin Dynasty in Ancient China effectively established itself as the first unified empire in Chinese history, and did so through aggressive military expansion and projection of power. Their extensive “public works projects to increase the economic productivity of the empire” was complemented by “military conquests…[especially] fortification of defensive walls [most notably] the 1,500-mile Great Wall of China.”[1] In addition, the Qin standardized as they centralized their empire to include currency, weights and measurements, the legal code, and most notably, written language. Despite all of these accomplishments, the Qin Dynasty only lasted from 221-206 BCE, when revolts of the peasantry coupled with succession issues toppled the seemingly stable empire. Following the impressive feats of the Qin were several other dynasties including, but not limited to, the Han, Tang, and Song. All of these dynasties experienced varying levels of power, but all ultimately failed to bring China to the forefront of global prominence.

In the modern era, China seeks to revise the status quo and solidify their position as a world superpower. Increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea along with numerous exploits of the cyber domain are several of the issues the United States Navy and the Department of Defense face concerning China. In order to combat these contentious actions by China, junior officers will need to possess knowledge of the why behind their missions and deployments in order motivate and encourage their enlisted sailors or Marines. By providing subordinates with a reason behind assigned duties and missions, morale will be higher as a result and the Navy at-large will ultimately function at a higher level of operational effectiveness.

In the same way, possession of knowledge about our adversaries’ history allows us to better prepare for what events may occur in the future. Understanding that China has been a country with varying amounts of power throughout its history is crucial for modern day warfighting. If we are to predict its future endeavors and potentially diffuse any further hostility, we must have a basic understanding of their culture, customs, and traditions established many centuries ago.

—Griffin Hamilton

Word Count: 429

[1] Class Google Folder, Spodek Ch. 7, China: Fracture and Unification

What Can The US Navy Learn From Athens?

Similarly to the Athenian army during the Golden Age of Athens, the United States today is with little doubt the dominant military superpower of our time. As officers in the world’s most capable Navy, the ability to deescalate and think reasonably through challenges is crucial to the overall success of the fleet. When analyzing the Melian Dialogue, there are several important lessons to learn about utilizing benevolence in the face of a clearly weaker opponent.

According to Thucydides, the Melian Dialogue occurred in 416 BC and involved the empire of Athens and the supposedly neutral island of Melos. For several years, tensions between the Athenians and the Spartans had continued to develop and smaller city-states were caught in the midst. This is exactly what happened to the city of Melos. (1)

When confronted with the difficult decision of whether or not to surrender to Athens, the Melians put forward their leading representatives to argue for their freedom. Leaders from Melos tried to reason that “a pleas for justice and fairness should do some good for a man who has fallen into danger.” (2) This was clearly an example of how the Melians felt that because they were neutral, they shouldn’t be punished considering they had no intentions to help either side. They continued by asking “Won’t this turn the people who are now neutral into your enemies?” (2) Their support was that “Once they’ve seen this, they will expect you to attack them eventually also.” (2) This is an important point, because the Melians were not the only neutral city-state at the time and they argued that Athens would only alienate the others through their actions.

The Melians definitely presented strong arguments, but alas they were not enough to sway the Athenians set on conquering Melos. After the civil debate, one Athenian leader even remarked “You have staked everything on your trust in hope… and you will be ruined in everything.” (2)

There are several important lessons that can be related to our military today. For example, the Athenians were too strong to be defeated by Melos and therefore felt they did not have to compromise or listen to the Melian leaders asking for mercy. This had important implications later on, however, as city-states who were neutral became wary of Athens.

Today, the US is involved in several conflicts in the Middle East. Terrorist groups like ISIS have continued to grow in influence in this region of the world, and their main recruiting tactic is attacking and demonizing the West. (3) For example, ISIS leaders garnered the attention of every major country when they started beheading Western journalists, showing that they were not afraid of the strength of America or anyone else. (3) They also take special care to show the innocent lives that are lost in the crossfire, further advocating to the youth who are still searching for belonging that the United States is the obvious enemy.

As Navy and Marine Corps officers involved in global conflicts, it will be our duty not to be like the ruthless Athenian invaders. Rather, we need to be the guiding hand amidst chaos that minimizes the loss of innocent lives and improves relations so that we do not feed the stereotype of war mongers and breed dissent against Western culture in future generations.

Word Count: 550

Sources:

https://www.nku.edu/~weirk/ir/melian.html
The Melian Dialogue, Adapted from Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War
https://www.businessinsider.com/isis-is-revolutionizing-international-terrorism-2015-5

Ancient vs Modern Conflicts: Not So Different After All

The saying goes that history repeats itself. Despite our best efforts to learn from the past to prevent future conflict, humans continuously find themselves in a constant cycle of peace, conflict, and war. For every current conflict or event, there is likely a precedent. Take Ancient Greece, for example. In Ancient Greece, the Greek city-states had placed their trust in Athens as the superior navy to take the lead when it came to defeating the Persians. They paid tribute in money or supplies, and allowed Athens to do whatever it took to shut down the Persian Empire. Little did they realize that the true danger was laying right under their noses. To combat the Persians, the Delian League was implemented with Athens as its head. Once the Persians were defeated, there would be no reason to keep the Delian League intact. However, despite the efforts of various city-states in Greece, the Athenians refused to allow any member to withdraw from the League once the war ended and demanded continual tribute, attacking any city-state who challenged Athens. It wasn’t unit the Spartans allied with Persia in the final Peloponnesian war that the Athens was brought to her knees.

Centuries later, we a see Germany attempt a similar stunt in its quest to conquer first Europe. Similar to the leaders of Athens, and Pericles in particular, Hitler had a talent for public speaking. He projected an image to the citizens of Germany, and the rest of the world The same way Pericles took complete control of the Athenian assembly and turned what appeared on the surface as a complete democracy into “government of the first” (Thucydides ____), so Hitler was able bring the Nazi’s to power and seize Germany without anyone batting eye. And just like it was up to the Spartans and their ally with Persia to bring down Athens tyranny, so it fell to the United States and the Allied Forces to bring down Germany.]

Looking at how these two empires we see many similarities. First and foremost, both Pericles and Hitler were phenomenal public speakers. In an article on how exactly Hitler came to gain so much power, he is described as being able to “[whip] crowds into frenzies” and “not only the Chancellor of Germany, but a beloved celebrity”. Through there charm both Hitler and Pericles were able to gain favor of the people. When looking at the actions of Athens as a whole, they were able to use the policies in place from the Delian League, such as the demand for tribute, to continue their growth as a city-state and the strongest power in Greece. This power enabled them to establish dominance over other city-states, they did not need permission to act on anything from anyone but themselves. In a slightly similar case, Hitler was able to implement the Enabling, allowing his cabinet to act without consent from parliament, making it much easier for him expand his power over the government. Both nations had a gradual and strategic rise to power, and both nations were taken down by the unified efforts of rivaling nations. On the surface, these two nations seem very different, however, if we strip away all the extra details and look at the core of what these two nations planned to accomplish and how they went about it, we see the repeating cycle of human nature in history.

word count: 564

https://www.livescience.com/54441-how-hitler-rose-to-power.html

Division Between Citizens in Ancient Rome and Modern America

Today, Americans are constantly posed with the question: whose side are you on? The growth of tribalism, or the behaviors and loyalties that stem from one’s social group, is on the constant rise in America. Political ideology is one of the many ways that people show their support for their beliefs and ideas. This loyalty creates division between the American people, and is one of the biggest conflicts that we face in America today. Similarly, the Ancient Roman Empire under Constantine faced a similar division between their people- either to convert to Christianity or to continue worshiping their own pagan gods. Christianity was eventually adopted as the official religion under Theodosius which united the entire Roman Empire under one religion. Before Christianity was united, the citizens were conflicted between keeping their pagan traditions and converting to Christianity. Religion and political parties are some of the ways that people feel that they belong to something bigger than themselves. Although we are unsure how the continuing conflict of tribalism in America will end, a similar conflict occurred in the Ancient Roman Empire that eventually led to its fall.

The beginnings of political tribalism in America started over 20 years ago over the Democratic and Republicans stances on issues such as taxes and military spending (Kornacki). Many political issues today are black and white. Meaning, if one political party supports one idea, the other political party supports the opposite of that idea. This can be seen in issues such as abortion, marijuana legalization, and healthcare. The truth is that these issues can have a lot more different opinions, which is one of the many reasons that makes living in a two-party system difficult. Because of these polarized opinions, legislation is becoming difficult to pass through congress. A great example of this is when earlier this year, congress had difficulty passing a budget. The result was that much of the government was shut down, including civilian teachers at the Naval Academy. It is human nature to belong to a group that shares their opinion. The Economist stated last May that, “The problem (in America) is structural: the root of tribalism is human nature, and the current state of American democracy is distinctly primeval. People have an urge to belong to exclusive groups and to affirm their membership by beating other groups” (Savage). Through polarization of ideas, a large amount of people can feel like their ideas relate to a political party.

Before the rise of Christianity in Rome, the Roman Empire demanded that people’s loyalty was to the state alone. The Roman people were expected to practice the state polytheistic pagan religion with many state-sponsored festivals throughout the year. Christians were not able to participate in these festivals because they were only interested in worshiping one god. The lack of participation by the Christians at these festivals added to the segregation of faiths in the Roman culture, and eventually led to the fear and misunderstanding of Christianity itself. Also, many Christians were forced to worship in solitude during the night because it was outlawed by the Roman state. Many people feared Christianity because it seemed very mysterious to them and they did not understand it. Much later during the early rule of Theodosius in Ancient Rome, he banned pagan sacrifice. Shortly after, many pagan statues were destroyed and replaced with Christian churches. In 391, Theodosius made a decree to punish any one accused of witchcraft. Pagan members of the Senate in Rome pleaded that Theodosius would allow pagan worship again, however this was not successful. The conflict between Christians and Pagans created a division in the Roman people. Religion in Rome was one of the reasons why the Empire eventually fell.

WC: 617

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/11/14/tribalism-doesnt-explain-our-political-conflicts/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.dbcf91133ac5

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/15/books/review/steve-kornacki-the-red-and-the-blue.html

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Theodosius_I#Support_for_Christianity

Cracraft, Benjamin Blog #3.