As a business model, Rome’s strategy was obviously flawed; like a credit bubble, it required constant expansion. Still it was nice in the beginning. The early days of the Roman Empire were like the early days of the British Empire or the American Hegemony. Expansion opened up new markets and brought in new supplies of raw materials at better prices. Not only was there booty; there were also slaves.
Quelle: No Modern Government Policy is So Stupid that the Romans Didn’t Think of it First
Doch das Ende war und ist immer rasch absehbar:
[…] the Romans had a solution for every problem. And every solution brought new problems…until the weight of them crushed the whole empire.