This Is How Empires Collapse Washington's Blog: "This is how empires collapse: one complicit participant at a time. Before an empire collapses, it first erodes from within. The collapse may appear sudden, but the processes of internal rot hollowed out the resilience, resolve, purpose and vitality of the empire long before its final implosion. What are these processes of internal rot? Here are a few of the most pervasive and destructive forces of internal corrosion: 1. Each institution within the system loses sight of its original purpose of serving the populace and becomes self-serving....reforms and innovations that might salvage the institution are shelved or buried....7. These dynamics of eroding accountability, effectiveness and purpose lead to systemic diminishing returns. Each failing institution now needs more money to sustain its operations, as inefficiencies, corruption and incompetence reduce output while dramatically raising costs [think of the US government, the federal budget and bureaucracy, the US health care system, etc.] ... 8. Incompetence is rewarded and competence punished. The classic example of this was cronies and con-artists are elevated to leadership roles to reward loyalty and the ability to mask the rot with good PR. [Barack Obama appoints Susan Rice as National Security Advisor after her obedient Benghazi talking points performance; and, of course, the classic example, George Bush: "Good job, Brownie"]. Serving the common good is set aside as sycophancy (obedient flattery) to incompetent leaders is rewarded and real competence is punished as a threat to the self-serving leadership. 9. As returns diminish and costs rise, systemic fragility increases...." (read more at the link above)
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