Lessons from the Roman Empire for modern-day - historian explains | Anthony Kaldellis

In this conversation, Kaldellis addresses how the Roman Empire's long history offers insights for contemporary American governance and foreign policy. He begins by discussing America's status as an empire, noting that academic discourse now openly analyzes America as an empire without the taboo that existed in the 20th century.

Kaldellis emphasizes that successful empires invest in institutions that work for the majority of subjects, even if those subjects bear costs. The Romans exemplified this by building infrastructure and institutions designed to last centuries, from roads to the Christian church. He argues that institutions must explain to people why they exist, which creates legitimacy and long-term stability.

A central theme is the gap between rhetoric and action in foreign policy. Kaldellis contrasts the Roman military, which generally did what emperors claimed it would do (protect subjects) with American foreign policy, which often proclaims lofty goals like spreading democracy while pursuing other interests. He notes that the military-industrial complex, combined with profit motives in weapons technology, widens this gap naturally.

The conversation addresses why this matters: the public's discovery of this gap during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars created credibility crises. Kaldellis explains that democracies face inherent challenges because elected leaders operate on short timeframes (4-5 years), incentivizing short-term gains over long-term institutional success, unlike monarchical systems with longer-term perspectives.

Finally, Kaldellis discusses human nature across history. He rejects post-modern views denying the existence of human nature, instead siding with Thucydides: humans consistently demonstrate love, hate, ambition, and incompetence across all periods. However, culture modifies these baseline psychological parameters in diverse ways. He argues that while cultural systems don't entirely colonize individual minds, exceptional individuals (Jobs, Musk) can occasionally alter historical trajectories through skill and timing.