Other Western Americana

Pax Americana (Latin: "American Peace") is a term to describe the period of relative peace in the Western world since the end of World War II in 1945, coinciding with the dominant military and economic position of the United States. more...

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It places the United States in the military and diplomatic role of a modern-day Roman Empire (Pax Romana), succeeding the British Empire. The United States is often criticised of not taking up the mantle following the disintegration of Pax Britannica before the First World War due to inward-looking isolationist policies. During this period, no armed conflict has emerged among major Western nations themselves, and no nuclear weapons have been used, although the United States and its allies have been involved in various regional wars (such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War (Britain), the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War) and have maintained espionage and covert operations in various other areas.

The term Pax Americana is used by both supporters and critics of United States foreign policy, and as such, it carries different connotations depending on the context. For example, it appears repeatedly in a September 2000 document, Rebuilding America's Defenses, pdf by the neoconservative think tank, Project for the New American Century, but is also used by critics to characterize American dominance and hyperpower as imperialist in function and basis. Some refer to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon, the World Trade Center, and Pennsylvania in the United States as the end of the Pax Americana.

Pax Americana is similar to the period of peace in Rome, Pax Romana. As has earlier been said, Pax Americana is much like a modern-day Pax Romana. In both situations, the period of peace is 'relative peace'. During both Pax Romana and Pax Americana wars were still going on, but it was still a prosperous time for the civilization. It is important to note that during these periods, and most other times of peace, the peace that is refered to does not mean that it was complete peace. By peace, it only means that they prospered in their military, agriculture, trade, and manufacturing.

Heritage of Pax Britannica

From the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 until World War I in 1914, the United Kingdom played the role of hegemon, where the balance of power was the main aim. It is also in this time that the British Empire became the largest empire, and indeed the largest empire to date. The global superiority of British military and commerce was guaranteed by dominance of a Europe lacking in strong nation-states, and the presence of the Royal Navy on all of the world's oceans and seas. In 1905, the Royal Navy was superior to any two navies combined in the world. It provided services such as suppression of piracy and slavery. Britain also went beyond the seas and developed and funded a universal mail system. During the managed transition of the British Empire to the Commonwealth of Nations, members of the British government, such as Harold Macmillan, liked to think of Britain's relationship with America as similar to that of a progenitor Greece to America's Rome .

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