Will power intoxication destroy the US as it did Athens?

2026-03-21 - 22:09

If you recall, I have written many pieces about how the ancient Greek civilization collapsed due to the Peloponnesian Wars, which began in 431 BC and lasted 27 years, fought between the "Athenian Maritime Empire" and the "Spartan Land Empire." I should note that in these wars, which resulted in the downfall of the Athenian Empire, there are some striking similarities worth discussing in relation to Trump's military interventions in Venezuela and Iran. Our primary source of knowledge about the Peloponnesian Wars is the histories written by the Athenian General Thucydides. Both Athens and Sparta had their own separate alliances. Athens' "Delian League" was originally founded on the basis of the "Persian threat." The Persians had attempted to conquer Greece in 490 and 480 BC but had failed. Over time, the Delian League became an alliance that served only Athens' interests. Equal say in decisions was eliminated, while the League's treasury was moved to Athens. The members' contributions, which turned into tribute, were then spent for Athens. Together with their respective allies, the Peloponnesian Wars between Sparta and Athens spanned a vast region stretching from Istanbul to Crete and from the western coast of Anatolia to Sicily. In modern-day great power rivalries and alliance relationships, references to Thucydides are frequently made. Western historians and international political scientists drew on Thucydides when interpreting the great power rivalry between England and Prussia (Germany) towards the end of the 19th century. During the Cold War, Thucydides also served as a reference in the rivalry between the "USA/West" clustered around the "NATO" and "Warsaw" military pacts and the "Soviet Union." Likewise, according to some American historians, the USA was a projection of Athens, while the "Soviet Union" was a projection of Sparta. Today, a similar characterization is used for the "great power rivalry" between the USA and China. Thucydides holds an important place in the culture of imperialist international relations in the USA. Some foreign policy elites consider Thucydides the founder of the "Realist" school (Realpolitik). Due to the nature of alliances and fundamental concepts regarding the use of armed force, Thucydides is also a favorite among military strategists. In an article I wrote in January, I compared the US intervention in Venezuela to Athens' attack on the island of Melos, which had chosen neutrality during the Peloponnesian Wars. In that same article, I also touched upon the "Sicilian Expedition" that Athens launched after Melos. The city-state of Melos had done absolutely no harm to Athens. However, the Athenians demanded that Melos surrender unconditionally and join the Delian League. During the negotiations known as the "Melian Dialogue," the Athenians argued that justice and fairness applied only between equal powers, and that the weak Melians had no choice but to accept these terms. According to the Athenians, treating the Melians leniently would be perceived as 'weakness' in the eyes of both their allies and their enemies. This "perception of weakness" could tempt Athens' adversaries. The Melians' arguments that Sparta would come to their aid were also deemed laughable by the Athenians. A truce agreement known as the "Peace of Nicias" had been made between Athens and Sparta in 421 BC. Moreover, Sparta did not possess a navy capable of reaching Melos quickly. The Melians refused to surrender. In 416 BC, Athens invaded Melos, slaughtered its adult male population, enslaved its women and children, and the "Melian Affair" created a huge breach in Athens' reputation. This reputational breach, stemming from the arrogance of power, would have severe consequences in the following years. The "Peace of Nicias" had been orchestrated by the Athenian General Nicias, a prudent conservative. General Alcibiades, who made various attempts to break this peace, was the leader of the hawkish faction advocating war against Sparta. Alcibiades, one of the architects of the decision to destroy Melos, believed that "endless wars" were necessary for Athens' imperial expansion. We can view Alcibiades as an ancient Greek representation of the "American Neocons." Trump's decision to send additional troops and an aircraft carrier to the Gulf, as he finds himself caught in an "escalation trap" in his war with Iran, evokes a phase in Athens' Sicilian Expedition. This naval expedition, which began with lavish ceremonies, led to fierce debates between the Nicias and Alcibiades factions in Athens. Athens' initial military successes ultimately turned into a strategic failure that ended in catastrophe. In my next article, I will discuss the similarities between the "Sicily" debates in Athens approximately 2,500 years ago and the "Iran" debates in the USA today.