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The Pax Romana in the ancient world was a legendary historical period in which the Western world enjoyed 200 years of relative peace, stability, and prosperity under the influence of the Roman Empire. The Pax Romana, created under the reign of Caesar Augustus and ending with the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, saw lower levels of violence, increased trade, and at its peak Rome ruled about a third of the world's population. It was characterized by territorial expansion.
Since then, there have been many eras with similar names, but none as dynamic as the current Pax Americana. Pax Americana, which typically dates back to the end of World War II in 1945, describes the peace, prosperity, and progress that American power has provided the world since working with allies to defeat fascism and confront communism. It's the era. Many expected this era to peak with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and end with the Iraq War in the early 2000s. But now, in its 80th year, Pax Americana looks alive and well and ready to usher in America's secure second century.
That's unashamedly good. Americans are losing faith in their own institutions, but they should never doubt the immense good their country has produced for the world. America's global dominance led to the most sustained era in world history. The seeds of Pax Americana date back to the end of the Civil War, when the United States purged its most vile and illiberal institutions, and the United States soon entered an era of industrialization and transformation. Entrepreneurs like Rockefeller and Carnegie became some of the wealthiest men in history, including Rockefeller's Standard Oil, which once dominated the world oil market. And America began to play an important international political and economic role. 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 an important role in World War I. And although Woodrow Wilson's missteps were a major cause of World War II, by 1945 America was the most powerful nation in history.
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Economically, at its peak it achieved more than 50% of world GDP and held 80% of the world's foreign exchange reserves. We developed an industrial and scientific base that fundamentally transformed the United States and made it the world's innovator and exporter. Our university has emerged as the best university in the world. And American culture, transmitted by Hollywood, spread like wildfire to foreign lands. Also, our country has developed the most terrifying weapons in history, our military is absolutely unparalleled and suffered much fewer casualties than countries such as Russia, Germany, and Japan.
US Army tank gunner. (Credit: US Army)
What did we do with that power? Most other countries in history would have used it to subdue and conquer the world. Americans didn't do that. Through the Marshall Plan, we put our tax dollars into rebuilding Europe. America occupied virtually no territory. After the Pacific War ended, we stopped using superweapons. The United States helped rebuild Japan and then returned it to Japan. And we developed military agreements and global aid programs that enabled the world to stand firm against the horrors of Soviet and Chinese communism. The greatest stain of the post-war era was the horrific domestic mass murder and famine that occurred outside the American security umbrella under Stalin and Mao Zedong. American inventors like Norman Borlaug helped lift billions out of poverty. We sent humans to the moon. The world has entered the safest, healthiest, and most prosperous era in human history.
Although the United States is no longer as dominant as it was when it emerged from the ashes of World War II, it remains a global hegemon. We make up 4% of the planet's population and 26% of its GDP. While other developed countries in Europe and Asia are slowing, the United States continues to accelerate, with countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom, and Germany ranking among the poorest states in the United States. Half of the world's great startups are American, founded by native-born citizens and new immigrants. And we now have overwhelming advantages in the most important areas of global innovation, such as artificial intelligence, space, robotics, biotechnology, and an array of other fields, and in many cases, more than all other countries combined. Our military remains the largest and most advanced fighting force in history. And our natural resources and domestic production capacity make us one of the most resource-endowed and self-sufficient countries in the world. The dollar remains the world currency. Our universities remain excellent. Our elections and culture are monitored almost as closely internationally as they are domestically. And we have maintained a much better moral foundation than most of our peers.
Meanwhile, U.S. competitors are stumbling. The Soviet Union, which had felt so threatened in the middle of the century, collapsed. The modern Russian state is a sad oligarchy echo of the evil empire that once threatened to enslave Europe. Japan, a (friendly) economic competitor in the 1980s, entered a decades-long period of stagnation while America roared. The European Union was established in the 1990s to compete with the United States (albeit as an ally), but has similarly stagnated, with only a few countries (such as non-EU member Switzerland) aligned. are. India and China have proven more tenacious in growth, but neither has emerged as a real challenger. China is the closest but is showing signs of weakness. Rumors of domestic debt problems persist (bad loans have long been a feature of “planned” economies) and the country's economy is slowing. Due to the inhumane “one-child policy,” China's population growth has been drastically reduced, and there is a risk that China's population will more than halve by the end of this century. The Communist Party has tightened its political control over the people and crushed the fragile green shoots of freedom. And even as the NATO alliance regains momentum, China finds itself primarily allied with exiled dictators in North Korea, Iran, and Russia. The operating system of Pax Americana, a fundamental belief in individual freedom, government representation, free enterprise, and human creativity, is one that no dictatorship can match.
bull of wall street (FOX News Photo/Joshua Commins)
America stumbled at times. Our leadership is far from perfect. We have fought wars that probably shouldn't have happened. Our domestic political system is stalled and hardened. Our commitment to free speech and freedom of the press is at stake, both politically by those in government who seek to circumvent the First Amendment, and culturally by those who seek to circumvent the First Amendment, and culturally by those who seek to circumvent their freedoms due to the temptations of power. It has been challenged by businesses and media outlets that are quick to sacrifice independence.
But our strength is almost shockingly good for the nation. We continue to grow our nation based on common ideals, not blood. Our country is perhaps the most racially and ethnically tolerant and diverse large country in the world, and within a generation most newcomers consider themselves American and are also considered Korean by others. , are considered American rather than Indian, British, or Argentinian. We are the largest funder of both international organizations (via governments) and international philanthropy (via the generosity of our people). We will use overwhelming military power sparingly. We pay for or create most of the world's medical innovations and technological advances. Perhaps most importantly, through our military and the power of our allies, we will continue to defend this world against the attacks and violence of those who seek to strip others of their freedom rather than uphold their freedom. It is. If you have any doubts about the desirability of Pax Americana, imagine if America's military and economic control was in the hands of China, Russia, or Iran. It will be a radically darker and different world.
There are internal threats to our strength. Our debt and deficit spending can paralyze us. Our political dysfunction has the potential to undermine our great legal system, which has remained strong for more than 200 years. Our people may lose their common values and confidence in the goodness of the cause. We could collapse culturally into the type of economic and social stagnation that plagues most developed countries today. Rather than uniting our nation, we may become fragmented and Balkanized.
But I don't think that will happen. We have countered these threats before. And time and time again, this government of the people, by the people, and for the people continues to exist. Our freedom and creativity allow us to stay two steps ahead of the dark forces that threaten our world. With any luck, this era of unparalleled peace, fostered by a union more perfect than ever before in Rome, will continue unabated, allowing billions of people to thrive and prosper.
Be confident, Americans. Please have hope. As the United States celebrates its 4,500th anniversary, Pax Americana continues. Our challenge, as always, is to maintain these great times of peace and prosperity and to keep America, and the world, good and great.
