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aserabelle's review against another edition
5.0
I was expecting the comparisons between the republics, but I was surprised at his comparison of how Rome reacted to Jewish terrorism and his argument of the importance of American Soft Power. An extremely well written comparative political science text for a medievalist.
_kathryn_'s review against another edition
4.0
As a student who has studied Latin and plans to pursue both Political Science and Classics studies in college, I found this book enlightening. The parallels and contrasts drawn between the two civilizations were fascinating. Comparisons ranged from times of war, like the Spanish-American War and Roman alliance with the Sicilian state of Messana, to cultural developments, like the Beatles' "British Invasion" and the popularity of Greek philosophers among young Romans. Finding a work that compared the two civilizations by relying on specific historical occurrances rather than broad, misleading generalizations was refreshing. Some of Madden's analysis of developments in American history and recent years challenged my perspectives and left me with a more positive outlook of the country I live in. While I learned a lot from this different perspective, I do think he lets the U.S. off a little too lightly when it comes to foreign entanglements that were carried out for morally dubious reasons and had disastrous effects on the lives of local people. Certainly the fact that Americans at home bother to question the morality of such actions is part of being an "Empire of Trust," but it is not enough. I also feel the author overromaticizes ignorance of world affairs among the American public. Overall, I was glad to have read Empires of Trust and am grateful for the context it will provide moving forward in studies of American and Roman history.
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