NATO The New Athenian League
During the cold war historical comparisons between the United States and the Soviet Union often invoked the conflict between Rome and Carthage. Two superpowers vying for control over the Mediterranean world. Athens and Sparta were often invoked as well. A competition between an open society and a closed one. Over the years NATO has also been compared to the Athenian League.
The Athenian League was formed in 478 BC. The league of over 300 city states was a defensive alliance against the Persian Empire. Most of Greece was represented, but most city states were from Iona and the island areas. At one point 330 city states were recorded in the alliance. The purpose was to protect against Persian retaliation after major Greek victories and liberate the eastern city states from Persian control. Economic benefits included increased trade and the elimination of piracy in the Aegean Sea. Over time the gradual dominance of Athens caused the league to develop into the Athenian empire. Eventually Athens demanded tribute and sometimes made participation compulsory using military force. In 404 BC Athens was defeated in the Peloponnesian war by Sparta, and the league was dissolved.
Patterns of history do tend to repeat themselves. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) emerged
Article from LewRockwell
