Smack dab in the middle

As mentioned in the previous post, the Roman Empire was centered around the Mediterranean Sea. It is interesting to note, in looking at a map, that Rome is literally near the middle of it, being on a strip of land (i.e., Italy) that sticks out into that sea.
Travel and trade by water have been extremely important in Western history, going back to the rise of the Greeks. The Mediterranean became a medium of communication that linked the ancient world into a community.
The Roman army had been superior on land for a long time, but it was not until it built a powerful navy that it was able to control the Mediterranean and complete its conquests. Its location near the middle of the Mediterranean would have been very fortunate for naval operations. Probably even more important would have been its location as a hub for trade.
It may or may not be appropriate to compare the United States to Rome, but it may be worth noting that the US is located in a fantastic trading position right in the middle between two gigantic trading areas: the Atlantic and the Pacific. As mentioned in the previous post, this is a powerful position.
It is interesting to note, also, that oceans tend to provide communication between the lands on their opposite shores, thus bringing them together as much as separating them. The people along the coasts of the oceans sometimes have more in common with each other than with people further inland on their own continent. For example, the culture and politics of Massachusetts sometimes seem more similar to Western Europe than to, say, Texas. California is obviously different from most of the rest of the US, and it is especially interesting that the California counties along the Pacific coast are politically the most different while the inland counties are more like the American heartland.
Similarly, the coastal areas of China are a little bit different from its inland areas. Prosperity has so far come mainly to the coastal areas, though it is spreading inland.
We tend to think of countries and civilizations as land based entities, but the roles played by ocean trade, travel and migration have really been far more important in western civilization. The United States is at the crossroads of the world in many respects, and as such it should continue to be a land of opportunity despite its problems.