Well yes, there are any number of start and end dates for Rome's reign. Personally I was using the period from Brennus to Odoacer ie 390BC to 476AD.

I find it a little hard to credit the Eastern Empire as being the Roman Empire given that it no longer had Rome as part of its domain and had few attributes of classical Rome. I favour the view that Justinian was the last of the Romans. I see the Byzantine empire as a successor empire much like the Hellenistic empires were successor empires to Alexander's empire. Saying the empire continued down to 1453 is similar to saying the Macedonian Empire continue down to 31BC since the Ptolemies remained on the Egyptian throne.

As to Tacitus' quote about the Pax Romana, I don't take it as a criticism of Rome. Tacitus was merely writing what he thought Calcagus would have said, in the tradition of Thucydides.

Well! welcome to the real world Binoy.

All countries keep armies and armed soldiers.

It should be obvious knowing these facts, that all countries are held at the point of a gun.
ALL countrys. Even so called countries who credit democracy as their ruling type of power, wouldnt be democratic countries if the army wasnt in support.

Also no ethnic group can rule any country, where the entire army is a different ethnic group. Academics are lost in the fantasy of love and peace and we can make it this way.. But the truth is they cant

Binoy

You yourself seem to have developed amnesia about the savagery and slaughter by
other countrys.
Muslim Empire, 7million died.
Japanese Empire 9 million Chinese
Millions dead in Syria and Iraq at the hands of warring Arab tribes.
Africa, Sudan and Libya savery and slaughter
Indonesians in Timor
Ghenghis Khan.
Stalin

You seem to want to only point the finger at America,
But the whole human race constantly carries out the savagery and slaughter you speak of. Why then should America be singled out by you? Racist hatred perhaps on your part.