Tolstoy's Majority

The empire we speak of, and bemoan, and indeed from which we suffer economically and morally – is little more than a veneer. The emperor has no clothes; we know the fable well. It is also true that the American empire itself is hollow, a movie set with authentic looking building fronts, but with nothing behind them. The currency of our empire, whether fiat money or military effectiveness, is likewise not believable, and therefore not valued. The American empire rests entirely on our belief in it – take away that faith, and we shed the empire. The collapse of empire is really the act – by each one of us – of rising up from our knees, and brushing off the dust.

America is overextended in economical and military terms. We are all bluff and bluster and the rest of the world is starting to understand this. Many are starting to laugh out loud at our predicament.