Gaius Marius (157 BC – 86 BC)—Roman leader who strengthened the connection between the people of Rome and their military by allowing all Roman citizens into the legion, regardless of social class. This drew poorer citizens to military service with the prospect of owning land in conquered territory. Marius decreed that the eagle standard of the Roman legion would be the symbol of the Senate and People of Rome (or Senatus Populusque Romanus SPQR).
Over two thousand years ago, Julius Caesar (100 BC – 44 BC), as Roman governor of Gaul, had almost completed Rome’s conquest of Gaul when Vercingetorix, a Gallic nobleman, organized a rebellion. Using hit and run tactics against a superior Roman military force, Vercingetorix nearly succeeded. Caesar defeated the Gallic rebel leader at the Siege of Alesia in 52 BC.
Romans may have viewed the defeat of Vercingetorix as a good thing, but three years later, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon river and marched on Rome to start a five year civil war. Caesar’s military success and eventual assumption of dictatorial powers was the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic. Four years after defeating Vercingetorix, Caesar was appointed dictator, and he was appointed dictator-for-life shortly before his assassination.
The tyrant had four celebratory triumphs in Rome to boast of his military prowess. The Roman mob, accustomed to crucifixions and other brutal displays of state power, were treated to the public strangulation of Vercingetorix six years after his surrender. Vercingetorix was no longer a threat, but his execution was a useful reminder to the mob of the fate for those who dared to oppose the oligarchy. Most Romans probably figured Vercingetorix was a bad man—after all, he didn’t want to be ruled by Rome.
US and “Afpak”
Today’s Rome and Gaul are the US and the Afghanistan-Pakistan region (Afpak in now obsolete government-speak), and the US treats the Middle East as ancient Rome treated its conquered territories: as sources of commodities.[1] And today’s Vercingetorix is Osama bin Laden. But Americans pretend they’re unique in history, so they can’t see the parallels between American militarism and Roman imperialism.
The US does differ from ancient Rome in that Americans are a video culture isolated from reality. Instead of a public execution of Osama bin Laden to demonstrate the brutal power of the state as Caesar did with Vercingetorix, pictures sufficed. Michelle Bachmann and a handful of lawyer/legislators, isolated from what happens to real people, got to look at photos of the executed opponent of the US federal government. “Our representatives” were convinced bin Laden was dead, just as an earlier hoax photograph on the Internet convinced Senator Scott Brown (R).[2]
Today’s mob is so well-trained it was convinced by the word of its leaders without even seeing pictures. Perhaps pictures were not released because it occurred to our rulers that pictures might cause some of the mob to have second thoughts about executing an unarmed opponent.
Rome of Caesar’s day didn’t hesitate to shed blood to remind the populace that the state was a ruthless parent and infanticide was widely practiced. Today, the US pretends to be a gentle Big Brother with only the people’s welfare as its concern. Beneath the pretense, the US government is just as brutal to those who refuse to submit to its power.
The most recent version of the story of bin Laden’s death released by the US government was that bin Laden was unarmed when he was killed.[3] Stories also said bin Laden’s wives were held for questioning. But why murder bin Laden when he could have been taken prisoner? If bin Laden was still a threat, wouldn’t he be more useful alive? Why pretend to ask his wives what he was thinking after he was executed? Unless you don’t really care about the answers? Or unless the US still isn’t telling the truth?
President Obama (D) told Americans that he had conferred with former President George W. Bush (R) after the execution. Bush, interviewed later about his reaction to the news of the death of an enemy to the state, praised the fighting spirit of US government warriors, just as Julius Caesar had when writing of his soldiers who fought for booty in the Gallic Wars.[4] [5] Bush, obviously pleased by the SEALs’ attitude, related a conversation he’d had with a SEAL Team Six warrior:
"I met SEAL Team Six in Afghanistan. They are awesome, skilled, talented and brave," he added. "I said, 'I hope you have everything you need. One guy said, 'We need your permission to go into Pakistan and kick ass.'"
That’s just how our leaders like it: warriors completely loyal to our dog pack and completely oblivious to the US Constitution.
Standing behind a podium with the symbol of Rome, the golden eagle, prominently displayed upon it, President Obama announced bin Laden’s execution to the cheering mob (video and video).[6]
Of course Obama is no Caesar, no dictator for life. Today’s news cycles are much shorter. But even if Obama doesn’t win re-election, he’ll have been in control longer and with much more power than “tyrant-for-life” Julius Caesar.[7] As the US government continues down a path similar to that of the Roman Republic, so too does the American mob, as it continues to embrace the power of the military.
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[1] “Osama bin Laden mission agreed in secret 10 years ago by US and Pakistan,” Declan Walsh, May 9, 2011, The Guardian, (Accessed at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/09/osama-bin-laden-us-pakistan-deal on May 23, 2011).
A former US official explains US-Pakistan relations (keep your people in line or we will):
“The former US official said that impetus for the co-operation, much like the Bin Laden deal, was driven by the US. "It didn't come from Musharraf's desire. On the Predators, we made it very clear to them that if they weren't going to prosecute these targets, we were, and there was nothing they could do to stop us taking unilateral action.
“’We told them, over and again: “We'll stop the Predators if you take these targets out yourselves.”’”
[2] “Bachmann, other lawmakers see bin Laden photos; convinced ‘we got our man’,” Dan Farber, Lucy Madison, CBS News, May 12, 2011, (Accessed at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20062269-503544.html May 23, 2011).
[3] “SEAL helmet cams recorded entire bin Laden raid,” By David Martin, May 12, 2011, CBS News, (Accessed at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/12/eveningnews/main20062410.shtml on May 23, 2011).
[4] “George W. Bush Gives First Public Reaction to Osama Bin Laden Death,” By DEVIN DWYER, May 13, 2011, (Accessed at http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/george-bush-reacts-publicly-osama-bin-laden-death/story?id=13592860 on May 22, 2011).
[5] Julius Caesar related similar sympathies in his troops during a siege in Gaul (from Commentaries on the war in Gaul, book 7, chapters 14-31):
“Things were so serious, in fact, that for several days the men had no grain at all and managed to avoid starvation only by bringing in cattle from distant villages.
“But even so, no one uttered a word that was unworthy of the greatness of Rome or of the victories they had already won. Indeed, when I went round and spoke to the men of each legion as they worked, saying that I would raise the siege if they were finding their privations too much to bear, every man of them begged me not to. They had now served under me, they said, for many years without ever losing their good name or anywhere abandoning a task they had once begun. They would be disgraced if they gave up the siege they had started, and they would rather endure any hardship than fail to avenge the Roman citizens who had been killed at Orleans through the treachery of the Gauls. They made these same feelings known to the centurions and military tribunes, with requests that they should pass them on to me.”
Caesar’s rewarded his soldiers with slaves, plunder, booty, and bonuses in addition to their regular pay.
[6] At a bipartisan Congressional Dinner the day after his announcement, Obama decries the loss of the unity that was experienced immediately after 9-11. Having a common enemy is a useful distraction for the mob and the oligarchs who rule them:
“I know that that unity that we felt on 9/11 has frayed a little bit over the years, and I have no illusions about the difficulties of the debates that we’ll have to be engaged in, in the weeks and months to come…And so tonight, it is my fervent hope that we can harness some of that unity and some of that pride to confront the many challenges that we still face.”
[7] Caesar was assassinated one month after he was declared “dictator for life.”
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