Civis Americanus Sum

Peaceably relating to other societies requires some form of mutual respect. This can be based on one of two foundations: admiration or fear.

Roman citizens once enjoyed a rare status. The phrase "civis Romanus sum"-- "I am a Roman citizen" -- was enough to strike fear into the heart of locals who mistreated or inconvenienced the Roman. At the same time, however, the empire had a reputation for cultivating knowledge, progress and culture, even if much of it was borrowed and blended from Greece and the various other societies brought under imperial sway. In short, there were reasons both to admire AND fear Rome.

Despite the popular comparison of America to Rome, the great irony of our foreign policy is we can't make either method stick. Our habit of throwing our weight around, economically and militarily, may make us feel good at home but costs us considerable good will abroad, even from those disposed to be our allies. Ethical lapses from Abu Graib to Enron make others question whether America is still the "shining city on the hill" we once aspired to be. Our popular entertainment reinforces this, highlighting the darker angels of our nature while minimizing the everyday decency many still strive for. Thus, in many ways, we've lost the moral high ground we're accustomed to.

At the same time, despite our vaunted technology, we don't instill much fear in those who seek to do us harm. Sure, countries like China and Russia realize tangling with us conventionally a la World War II is a colossally bad idea (for now, anyway). Decentralized militant groups, though, have no such fears and our lumbering, institutional responses to their more nimble flea bites encourage their David vs. Goliath complex.

Moral capital can take a generation or more to replentish after a fall. Adjusting military power to deal with new paradigms is a bureaucratic nightmare, "transformation" fetishes notwithstanding. Having to do both at once is a tall order indeed. If America is Rome, it resembles a post-Teutoburg phase, having past its prime. Where "civis Romanus sum" once brought protection, "civis Americanus sum" invites a bulls-eye. That alone speaks volumes.