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Entry: Jonah Goldberg Takes on Ron Paul Link: http://www.takimag.com/site/article/jonah_goldberg_takes_on_ron_paul#11684 Post contents: In his study of civilizations, Arnold Toynbee noted an interesting detail that may be relevant both to Raimondo's argument and to America's current situation: advancing civilizations control people by getting them excited, interested and eager to support the civilization. Declining civilizations operate by using threats of punishment and military force. Toynbee summed the two types by the "role models" of the Piper of Hameln vs. a drill sargeant. An example of this phenomenon could be seen in the British Empire, where, with the exception of periods of major wars, the military forces used to defend the empire were laughably small up to the late 19th century. Furthermore, Britons were fully aware of the lack of military force. The "Oak in a Flowerpot" view of the Empire implied that Rule Britannia could survive only if local populations liked and supported it. Troublingly, it looks that with the rise of neoconservatives the US is changing from operating via attraction to operating via coercion and armed force, i.e, from an expanding to a declining empire. Sent at: 2008 07 24