The British example

The other main example I will draw from when using history to examine America's role in the world is the British Empire. Britain is a more apt comparison in some ways though less so in others. The British were of course the pre-eminent world power of their day. Unlike the Romans, their empire truly spanned the globe and was the largest in history.

The major difference with the Roman example and the U.S. is the internal governance of the British Empire. Both the United States and Rome had a roughly uniform system of government through out their respective nation/empire. The British Empire was a more traditional empire with a clear distinction between the ruling metropolitan state and the ruled colonies. As with Rome, the fall of the British Empire does not provide much useful information given America's different situation. Also, except for a brief period in the middle of the 19th Century, the British were never the greatest power in the world which required them to give a deference to the behavior of major powers that the U.S. does not.

It is more similar to the U.S. in that both enjoy a marked technological advantage over the poorer nations of the planet making warfare outside of the core regions of the world (North America, Europe, Northeast Asia) relatively easy. Also like the U.S., the British were the center of the global economy and diplomacy; things that were of little importance in Roman days. Further, the British had to deal with many nations rising and falling during their age of supremacy. This is very similar to the situation today as we see many old powers declining and some new powers rising.

By combining the Roman and British examples, I believe it is possible to provide a decent analysis of the decisions America faces and where the solutions lie.