NEW DELHI, March 17 -- Collapse of Civilisations Niall Ferguson, the noted historian of civilisations, says America is making the same mistake that earlier civilisations made just before their collapse. In the immediate context, he refers to the accumulation of war-related debt. While this could be one of the proximate causes of the breakdown of a social order, the reasons for a society's gradual decline need further analysis.

Athens wrote its ultimate destiny when it started exploiting conquered people like the Melians. The Roman Empire held together for a long time because it sought to integrate conquered communities, giving them a measure of dignity. But as a sense of non-belonging grew more profound, the distant parts fell apart. So ...