Why Empires Fall

If diversity, natural resources, land, and leadership--prompted by wealth and recognition--made the USA an empire about the early twentieth century, then here in the early twenty-first century we are making a good effort to end our reign much earlier than states or powers have in the past.

It is possible that such a pattern of early decay of new civilizations has been created by the rapid occurrence of technology, but more likely by our ignorance of history. We seem to never learn!

All wars have been basically caused by economics, and leaders who thought they had the answers to not only their country's salvation, but to the rest of the world.
The USA has little knowledge of the rest of the world. We assume so many things that are based on our quite short history, that we misinterpret the actions of others and take unnecessary and stupid steps to protect those people from their leaders, and ourselves from
our perceived danger from them.

Just how many times must empires conquer, try to adjust heritage and culture to theirs, and then give up and return home unsuccessful?

Spain still gripes about the stupid Romans staying there for several hundred years to no avail, and certainly every tribe in Africa has had their fill of advantage taking semi-temporary powers lording over them from Europe and other places--not to mention South America, The Phillippines, Taiwan, and most of Europe and Russia.

We are sure hurrying such happenings along with our greed, our bombing repeatedly, and then our rationing of treasure to build them back!
We must protect ourselves of course as there are rash people out there somewhere who would damage us greatly if left alone.
Let us get them and not everybody!