Table Of ContentThe Collapse of Civilization 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Biography of Reginald Muata Ashby............................................6
Foreword........................................................... 7
PREFACE........................................................ 12
American Empire?.......................................................................12
Part 1: The Struggle of Empires,
Wealth, Power and the Plight of
Humanity......................................................... 20
The Superpower Syndrome Mandatory Conflict Complex.........21
INTRODUCTION to the "Superpower Syndrome Mandatory
Conflict Complex"....................................................................21
Humanitarian Ethics.................................................................22
What is the “SuperPower Syndrome”?....................................23
The "Superpower Syndrome Mandatory Conflict Complex"..24
Symptoms of the Superpower Syndrome.................................43
Tactics of the Superpower Syndrome Complex that lead to
conflict.....................................................................................46
Causes of the Superpower Syndrome: The Superpower
Mentality, Racism And The Delusion Of Self-Importance.....59
Why was Western Culture Able to Control the Rest of the
World?......................................................................................62
Competition, Fear and Greed as Allies of the Superpower
Syndrome Mandatory Conflict Complex.................................68
Is there any Effective Opposition to the Hegemony of the
Empire?....................................................................................92
NOTE ON WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.............96
War for Profit and Power: Major Military Actions of the United
States of America’s Imperial Designs under the administration of
Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F.
Kennedy, Linden Johnson, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush,
and the Neoconservatives...........................................................109
In 2003, U.S. Spurned Iran's Offer of Dialogue.........................125
Some Officials Lament Lost Opportunity.........................125
The True Wounded of Torture and War....................................144
4 The Death of American Empire
Religion and the Superpower Culture Part 1: The Henotheism
Period, The Counter-Reversion Era the Assurance Age and the
Formation of Western Religion..................................................154
Religion and the Superpower Culture Part 2: How the Religious
Far Right, and the Neoconservatives took control of U.S.A.
Politics and What is their Agenda?............................................174
A Brief History of the Origins of Israel as a Jewish State.....175
IS IT RELATIVE? Lessons from Political Oppression, Media
Consolidation and the Manipulation of Public Opinion............197
New York Times - March 11, 2003...........................................212
Growing Number in U.S. Back War, Survey Finds....................212
The Power Elite and the Neo-Con Agenda................................219
Pretexts to War...........................................................................238
Conclusion.................................................................................256
Part 2: Prospects for the Future....... 261
A Dire Scenario of the Future?..................................................262
Changes in the “economic, political and racial demographics of
the United States” and the Possibilities for the Future...........262
Prospects For the Future: Religion Politics, Economy, Ecology
and Health in the 21st Century....................................................267
The Religious Crisis...............................................................267
(b) The Economic Crisis..................................................280
(c) The Ancient Egyptian Economy: A Model of Ethics in
Commerce and Government..................................................319
The Ecological Crisis.............................................................329
The Health Crisis...................................................................343
Part 3: Alternatives to Imperialism
and Tyrannical Democracies.............. 347
Lessons From Botswana: Nationalism, Resistance Movements,
and Using the deeper Roots of Culture to Achieve the true Goals
of Democratic Government........................................................348
Lessons From Botswana: Nationalism, Resistance Movements,
and Using the deeper Roots of Culture to Achieve the true Goals
of Democratic Government........................................................348
The Collapse of Civilization 5
The Importance of Questioning
Reality and Evaluating Dissenting
Opinions........................................................ 359
Part 1: 19th Century Wisdom on Questioning Reality, for Citizens
of the New Millennium..............................................................360
Part 2: The Failure of Mill to Fully Apply His Own Logic on His
Own Views to Himself and His Culture....................................365
Part 3: 19th Century Wisdom on Dissent and Protest to Promote a
More Ethical and Democratic Society.......................................378
Afterword: What Could Happen in the
Near Future?............................................... 395
Possible scenarios for the near future based on financial
disturbance to the economy:...................................................396
Strategies to cope with the challenges of the future:..............399
Conclusion: What happens next?...............................................402
A Window of Opportunity?...................................................409
Concluding Thoughts.................................................................413
Appendix 1.................................................. 419
NOTES.......................................................... 426
INDEX........................................................... 440
Other Books From C M Books......................... 454
6 The Death of American Empire
Biography of Reginald Muata Ashby
Mr. Ashby began studies in the area of religion and philosophy
and achieved a doctorate degree and at the same time he began to
collect his research into what would later become several books on
the subject of World Religions, World history, African History,
religion and ethics, world mythology, origins of Yoga Philosophy
and practice in ancient Africa (Ancient Egypt/Nubia) and also the
origins of Christianity in Ancient Egypt. He is an accomplished
lecturer, musician, artist, poet, painter, screenwriter, playwright and
author of over 30 books on yoga philosophy, religious philosophy
and social philosophy based on ancient African principles.
Mr. Ashby holds a Doctor of Divinity Degree in Religion and
Holistic Health and a Masters Degree in Liberal Arts and Religious
Studies. He is also a Teacher of Yoga Philosophy and Discipline.
Dr. Ashby received his Doctor of Divinity Degree from and is an
adjunct faculty member of the American Institute of Holistic
Theology. Dr. Ashby is a certified as a PREP Relationship
Counselor.
Mr. Ashby is the founder of the Sema Institute ©1995
The Collapse of Civilization 7
Foreword
A word of encouragement.
I have written this book because I feel that the ancient Spiritual
philosophy can bring insight into the problems of the world today.
Many readers of this book, especially those who have read my
previous books, some of which have dealt with ethical, political and
economic issues in a limited way, may find this book intense
because it almost exclusively concentrates on those social issues. It
presents some themes and information that some may find to be
shocking and maybe even frightening and or unbelievable but all
readers should remember that the fear that they may feel from the
proven and documented information that will be presented in this
volume is reality based fear as opposed to imaginary fear, such as is
presented in the media about an undetermined foe or disease, or that
might be presented by religious fundamentalists or warmongering
politicians. The reality based fear can be transformed into positive
action to counteract the problem, and in so doing a person should
not feel paralyzed or depressed, but rather invigorated and hopeful
because one will begin to discover the truth and will not be surprised
when the changes of the future come about. Therefore, this book
will attempt to provide insight from an ethical, philosophical and
spiritual perspective about what has and is going on in the world and
what we should expect in the future, as well as how to meet the
challenges that life will bring.
The information and evidences presented in this book are mostly
derived from statements from the actual sources being discussed,
encyclopedias and legitimate historical sources, and non-traditional
news sources not controlled by the present day corporate owned and
controlled mainstream media. Therefore, this is information that is
well known to scholars and researchers and is freely available but
not widely disseminated or talked about in regular political or
economic discussions. However, after reading the book, the reader
will find that they now notice the few reports related to these
subjects that are presented in the mainstream media, and having the
background of this book they will be able to put together the meager
8 The Death of American Empire
bits of information into a coherent whole for proper understanding,
and then they will be able to take proper action.
Many people think that the U.S.A. Republican party is the party of
the rich, the party of conservatives and neo-conservatives and the
party bent on uniting Christian fundamentalism with authoritarian
democracy. However, the democratic Party has also assisted in that
effort. The well-known reporter Robert Schere produced a famous
interview of President Jimmy Carter and provided some important
insights into the bipartisan efforts towards making war.
Monday, July 10th, 2006
Veteran Journalist Robert Scheer on Playing President: My Close
Encounters with Nixon, Carter, Bush I, Reagan and Clinton- and
How They Did Not Prepare Me for George W. Bush
We think the Republicans are the ones who started this fundamentalist
religion claptrap, you know? It was Jimmy Carter. He’s the one who
talked about, you know, “I’m a born-again Christian. I pray all the
time. I do this,” etc.
So the reason I was interested in interviewing him was, you know, what
does that mean? Are you going to have a literal interpretation of
scripture? Are you going to impose it on the rest of us? So the
questions, the Falwell-type questions, the Pat Robertson, really started
with Jimmy Carter. And the reason that Carter was willing to be
interviewed by Playboy is he was having a lot of trouble with his base
in the Democratic Party, so he wanted to assure more liberal people that
he wasn't. …But with Carter, I say, “Look, Lyndon Johnson gave us
this war. It’s true Nixon escalated it.” I said, “But, you know, you're
coming on very hawkish here. Why won't you do the same?” And he
said, “I will never lie to the American people the way Lyndon Johnson
did.” That was Jimmy Carter.
Therefore, this is not a political book, in the sense that I'm not
advocating that the Democratic Party would be better if they come
to power and would change things and solve the ills of society, or
that the Republican Party is better. I am trying to show that the flaws
of the systems of government and the values of U.S.A. culture are in
need of an ethical and spiritual reevaluation in order to understand
where the problems are and then proceed to solve them. In fact it
does not matter which party or form of government is used if it will
be managed by unethical people, because those people will corrupt
the system. So this book should serve as an historical and ethical
The Collapse of Civilization 9
review of world history, showing how empires are created and how
they die, how the malady of imperious desires are endemic in a
segment of the human consciousness, and how society needs to be
vigilant in order to reestablish balance so as to maintain and
perpetuate civilization.
This work, which is a collection of essays, addresses social and
economic leadership, and ethical, ecological and religious issues that
are facing the world today in order to understand the course of
history that has led humanity to its present condition, so as to arrive
at positive solutions that will lead to better outcomes for all
humanity. It surveys the development and decline of major empires
throughout history and focuses on the creation of the American
Empire along with the social, political and economic policies that
led to the prominence of the United States of America as a
Superpower, including the rise of the political control of the neo-
conservative political philosophy such as militarism, the military
industrial complex in American politics, and the rise of the religious
right into an American Theocracy movement. This volume details,
through historical and current events, the psychology behind the
dominance of Western culture in world politics through the
"Superpower Syndrome Mandatory Conflict Complex" that drives
the Superpower culture to establish itself above all others and then
act hubristically to dominate world culture through legitimate
influences as well as coercion, media censorship and misinformation
leading to international hegemony and world conflict. This volume
also details the financial policies that gave rise to American
prominence in the global economy, especially after World War II,
and promoted American preeminence over the world economy
through Globalization as well as environmental policies, including
the oil economy, that are promoting degradation of the world
ecology and contributing to the decline of America as an Empire
culture. This volume finally explores the factors pointing to the
decline of the American Empire economy and imperial power, what
to expect in the aftermath of the decline of American prominence,
and how to survive the decline while at the same time promoting
policies and social-economic-religious-political changes that are
needed in order to promote the emergence of a beneficial and
sustainable culture.
10 The Death of American Empire
Many people scoff at those who criticize the U.S.A., pointing to the
“greatness” and abundance and wealth of the country. They claim
that those achievements, which may well be far ahead of any other
culture in history, are proofs that the U.S.A. is the greatest country
in the world and perhaps that ever was. Yet there are always flaws in
any culture. When those flaws have major or even global
implications, it is important to examine them in order to discover
and implement better solutions. Therefore, constructive criticism is
important and necessary for the betterment of nations and for
humanity as a whole.
There is no doubt that the U.S.A. has made grand achievements in
science, technology and wealth creation, but still there are many
people who would like to go back to some mythic time “when
America was great” and there was less crime, less malcontents, less
homosexuals, less women talking back, etc., or at least they would
like to imagine that it was like that at some point in the past. They
claim that Americans should be proud and not criticize the country
or its government because Americans built this country with their
own blood and sweat. The question is though, when was that time?
And even if this period did exist at some point in the past, does that
mean that the social or economic policies should not be criticized?
The U.S.A. has been striving to control other countries and acquire
territories since the time of its inception. The first acquisition was
the land itself, which was usurped from the Native Americans.
Americans did not create the U.S.A. if we consider that the
European slave owners forced the Native Americans and Africans
into slave labor and that free labor allowed the great profits that
permitted the European power elite to build up the country. Today,
the illusory wealth that most people in the middle and lower classes
experience comes from being able to buy cheap goods. Those goods
are cheap because other countries have been subjugated
economically by their leaders or through neocolonial governments
or through economic subjugation through loans from institutions
like the IMF so that their populations are kept working for slave
wages.
The Collapse of Civilization 11
So while Americans can objectively enjoy modern conveniences and
the capacity to purchase cheap goods those goods are in effect a
source of sustaining the illusion of real American wealth since the
real wealth goes to corporations and the power elite. Those same
cheap goods are a cause for the commercialization of other countries
and the enslavement and suffering of the populations of those
countries. So, while there is reason to say that the U.S.A. leaders
have been ingenious in wealth creation that wealth is not sustainable
nor was it developed through legitimate commerce. Those sensitive
people with sufficient conscience feel empathy with those who are
suffering no matter where they are on earth and if they are
Americans, would not want to perpetuate that suffering by
supporting the consumer culture and imperial ideal. Therefore, the
criticism of the U.S.A. is legitimate and needed to improve the
situation for Americans and foreigners alike.
We may consider that in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau,
social commentary and criticism are not only a right but a duty not
only of American citizens but of anyone who considers him or her
self as a citizen of the world, concerned for the well being of all
human beings on earth.
12 The Death of American Empire
PREFACE
American Empire?
im·pe·ri·al·ism ( m-pîr - -l z m) n.
1. The policy of extending a nation's authority by
territorial acquisition or by the establishment of
economic and political hegemony over other nations.
2. The system, policies, or practices of such a
government.
P
rior to the 21st century, the open use of the term American
Empire was resisted by many writers and commentators on the
foreign policies of the United States of America [U.S.A.].
Nevertheless, terms such as American Empire, American
Hegemony, American Exeptionalism or American Imperialism have
been used by people in the U.S.A. and in other countries to describe
those U.S.A. policies related to territorial expansion or control of
world markets or economies. American nationalism developed
during and after the U.S.A.’s colonial revolution as a concept of
exeptionalism in which the people of the U.S.A. came to believe that
they were doing something special and different that was better than
anything else in human history. This disregarded the sources of the
ideas that went into creating the new country that came from the
Native Americans, philosophers such as John Calvin and Thomas
Hobbes, the upbringing of the Founding Fathers and from
elsewhere. This idea also disregarded the ignoble actions that were
not new and different but were indeed epitomizing the actions of
previous societies to advance themselves including slavery,
indentured service, devastation of native cultures, etc.
Description:Biography of Reginald Muata Ashby Mr. Ashby began studies in the area of religion and philosophy and achieved a doctorate degree and at the same time he began to
