This is the Friends of History Debating Society. I am Gaius, John Bachelor. I welcome

Germanicus, Michael Lejos. We are in Londinium, it's 91 AD. Late summer.

We're surrounded by centurians and their families retired Centurians with great stories.

Bussling about the market. The days are shorter here in Londidium now, but very happy.

We're going to go to the theater next.

Right now, we're discussing events of the 21st century.

Our century, the 1st century AD, is fixed.

We're nearing the end of it. We have an emperor who is not adequate for the Senate

and that's always tension. Our idea of entertainment however is to look at the

emperor for the inheritor of the Roman Empire

that would be the American Empire.

And in the year 2024 there is a surprising contrast, one that we've been through in our century, which is the rise of the empire replacing the republic and as you recall from your Roman history that involved not only

Julius Caesar and his death and the battle between Octavian, the inheritor of Caesar's

mantle, an adopted son, and Mark Antony,

Caesar's lieutenant general for his campaigns, but also the significant

presence of a very powerful woman, Cleopatra in Alexandria and Cleopatra's presence

in both the drama with Caesar and the drama with Mark Antony has reverberated

through the 1st century A.D. and a number of women and the Julian Claudian family

have been successful at wielding power. However, now and Claudia

have been successful at wielding power. However, now the American Empire must confront this same contrast.

It's not only two parties facing each other, it's a man and a woman facing each other and

Harris in the last week faced the cameras as Cleopatra of the 21st century and

...