[ScottinVA]

You can get a glimpse of a nation that was on top of its game.

Yep.. and a nation that was sure of itself, its identity and its role in the world... that is most assuredly a lost civilization.

[Steely Tom]

It’s not lost. It’s just not needed, at the moment.

Remember how permanent the USSR seemed? I’m assuming you’re of a certain age here.