Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

There are blaring red light alarms across the world right now about the status of the global order managed by the United States. When Americans elected Donald Trump to restore an economy that was already in recovery and to keep the United States out of wars, this is not what they envisioned. Or for many in the Trump circle of depravity, it was exactly what they wanted.

It is an America lashing out at a growing list of enemy nations as a business opportunity for Trump’s inner circle, but never Russia. It is an America more concerned with attacking internal perceived enemies of President Trump than confronting those red light alarms. We have seen this all on full display again this week.

While Trump and company have virtually no idea how to find peace in their chosen war on Iran, and Iran has found that it does not need to fear American reprisal at all, the United States Senate was not trying to end the conflict. The Senate was not investigating the absolute corruption the Trump Administration basks in daily. It was yelling at Dr. Anthony Fauci, a hero to many, including this writer.

This representative body, allegedly the “world's greatest deliberative body,” has decided that screaming at Dr. Fauci about conspiracies is a priority. There could have been an important point to talking to Dr. Fauci. We are not ready for the next pandemic. What are the lessons we learned? Right now, we have outbreaks tearing through the country and around the world. The Department of Health and Human Services is uninterested in preventing virus spread. The Senate could have discussed this. Another pandemic will happen. It is not a matter of if but when. But congrats to Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio for deciding that yelling the f-bomb at Dr. Fauci was a good use of time and energy. Ohio and the nation must be proud while war rages and people cannot afford daily goods.

Why do those goods cost so much? There are many reasons, but tariffs and the war in Iran do not make things easy. The Senate could attempt to regain control of tariff policy instead of letting President Trump use them as a plaything. He uses them more often to punish allies like Canada. But the Senate needed to yell at Dr. Fauci.

The most startling cause of economic stress is the Iran War. Iran struck the precise pain point for the United States and, even with brutal strikes, does not fear reprisals. This is a revolution of sorts. For generations, the overwhelming power of the United States could prevent actions based on the sheer threat. It was not perfect. There were plenty of incidents and military actions. But most nations would not dare attempt to confront the United States on a military scale without severe consequences. Iran has found out it can do so at will, and there is nothing the military can do about it so far. Trump can threaten and hit hard often, but it has not opened the Strait of Hormuz. It is, of course, the lesson that superpower empires learn eventually. Parity is dangerous to the superpower. And China and Russia definitely are noticing the quagmire. They also are helping contribute to it.

History students often learn that the Roman Empire fell because of a host of reasons. Civil war weakened the state, and an overreliance on foreign troops often led to the superpower’s decline. Plagues certainly did structural damage too. And those are certainly part of it. Some argue well that the Roman Empire’s neighbors reached military parity. There was an awareness that the tribes could militarily compete with Rome on a local level if the local conditions worked. But that was always the case. Rome could be defeated at any time during the Pax Romana. It happened famously to its greatest emperor, Augustus. They made a Netflix series about the Teutoburg Forest called Barbarians in case you are curious. What mattered was the leadership in recovery, addressing the failures, and prioritizing the important issues. Rome’s ability to recover was incredible. They did it often. But luck and circumstances come for everyone. And it did eventually for them too. It does not have to come for us at the moment. We had to learn lessons in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq where military solutions did not solve problems. We should remember that too.

Right now, lands that were once occupied by the Roman Empire are on fire right now. It is not shocking to see this is a product of climate change. But our allies in Europe cannot trust the United States government. We cannot be trusted for Ukraine or Greenland or any economic agreement. The Senate should have gone to bat for Ukraine a long time ago. They should have taken control of tariffs again. We should be deploying help for the fires too. If Trump wants allies to help him, the United States needs to help allies in need too. Instead, the United States is attacking Dr. Fauci. It is using the Department of Justice to prosecute Trump’s enemies at home. It is said that the most pathetic Roman Emperor, Honorius, when he was told that the city of Rome fell in 410 CE, was worried that his pet chicken, Rome, had died. Instead of focusing on things that matter, President Donald Trump brings up his ballroom or his arch or now, Dulles Airport. And the Senate just shrugs its shoulders. It has to prosecute Anthony Fauci after all. When we talk about Senate races for this fall, remember what is at stake.