Rome’s warmongering politicians and generals were as much a product of their time and people as Donald Trump is today. Sure, some Romans argued against the complete subsummation of the Mediterranean world—but they lost that argument. 6/6

With Donald Trump now back in the White House, NATO’s European allies are reexamining the alliance’s future and America’s role in it. But I’m not sure that introspection goes far enough. As the Greeks can attest, keeping a great power “in” is easy. Getting it to leave? That’s another story. 5/6

And it worked—for a while. The League resisted Macedonian dominance and kept Sparta in check. But Rome didn’t just stay “in”—it took over. By 146 BCE—the same year Rome razed Carthage—Corinth was in flames, the Achaean League was crushed, and Greece was reduced to a Roman province. 3/6

Over two millennia earlier, the Achaean League in the Peloponnese served a strikingly similar purpose: keep the Macedonian Greeks out, the Romans in, and the Spartans down. 2/6