Victor Davis Hanson

American society is facing three existential crises not unlike those that overcame the late Roman, and a millennium later, terminal Byzantine, empires. 

Our catastrophe arose from our most highly educated, the wealthiest and most privileged in American history with the greatest sense of self-esteem and sanctimoniousness. Sometime around the millennium, they felt their genius could change human nature and bring an end to history—if only they had enough power to force hoi polloi to follow their abstract and bankrupt theories that they had no intention of abiding by themselves.