All imperial systems eventually collapse. Hubris and arrogance convince great powers the sun will never set on their dominions. Long wars kill and maim many people and deplete not just the treasury but also a nation's moral authority. The U.S. is no different from a long line of hegemons who thought they would last forever. The quest for global domination has domestic consequences. Surveillance, lawlessness, torture and violence overseas migrate home. The vast string of bases and the gargantuan military apparatus are accelerating U.S. decline. Infrastructure rots. Homes and jobs are lost. The economy sinks. No one makes the connections between the external and the internal. Liberals who were once in the forefront of defending the working class have virtually disappeared. They've turned their backs on the idea of economic justice and embrace the elixir of empire.

Chris Hedges is an award-winning journalist who has covered wars in the Balkans, the Middle East and Central America. He writes a weekly column for Truthdig.org and is a senior fellow at The Nation Institute. He is the author of American Fascists, Empire of Illusion, Death of the Liberal Class, and The World As It Is.