Hi Laurele - I am not suggesting you wait, just that the forces involved are very large and complex. In its republican phase Rome sacked Carthage and Corinth in 146BC (~=>2001AD), but even these imperial deeds were outmatched by the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70AD. The Roman Republic kept the military out of government, except for occasional annual dictators, while at the same time engaging in some rather nefarious military empire building. By the time of Empire, associated with Caesar crossing the Rubicon in 49BC (~=>2098AD) and then Octavian defeating Antony at Actium in 31BC (~=>2116AD), the republican military forces had evolved into powers of a scale that was incompatible with the checks and balance of Senatorial traditions. I am simply presenting a scenario in which ability to democratically contest may be less in future. The story of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus is an interesting way station on the road to empire.