Quote Originally Posted by oladub View Post
We seem to be headed toward a demise similar to that suffered by the Byzantine empire. It was never over run and conquered but it lost its competative edge and gradually had to give up its empire as its homeland slowly became a poorer and weaker nation. [[bold added)
Not true.

The Eastern Empire lasted for well over 1,200 years from Augustus until 1204, when the sack of Constantinople by the Christian soldiers of the 4th Crusade was followed by the 70-year period known as the Latin Empire. Though the Byzantines eventually reclaimed Constantinople, they had been weakend enough that the Turks could take advantage and finally put an end to them by taking the city in 1453.

If that's not being "over run and conquered", then I don't know how you could define it.

I'd say a 1,200 years was a pretty good run, and had it not been for the treachery of their fellow "Christians", the Byzantine Empire might still be around.