Why A Nations's Military is so Important

Show me a nation that is great and I'll show you a nation with a great military.  If you look at all the great nations or empires of the past you will see a common thread:  a great military.  No nation can call itself great without an efficient military.  Let's look as some examples:

1. The United States has been a world power since the late 19th century.  After the defeat of the Spanish in Cuba and the Philippines in 1898 you had the beginning of a new world power.  World War I and II put a definite stamp on it.  There is no stronger power in the world than the United States.  There are many reasons for this, but a strong and efficient military is one of the biggest reasons.
2. Great Britain ruled the world through its empire for two hundred years.  One of its biggest assets was and still is the efficiency and prowess of its military forces.
3. Japan has been a strong nation on the world stage for the last hundred years. Japan's military was feared for its prowess.  They conquered most of China, Malaysia and the Korean peninsula prior to World War I, then they made a fatal mistake:  They dared challenge the strongest military power in the world:  The United States in World War II and were destroyed in the process.
4. Germany lost two world wars in the period of 20 years but no one will laugh at the German military for its efficiency and power.  For a small country, it nearly defeated the rest of the world.  the German military was next to none in efficiency and prowess. German soldiers in World Wars I & II were considered some of the best soldiers in the world.
5. The Ottoman Empire ruled a large part of the world from the Middle East to the borders of Russia to the north and North Africa to the south from the 14th Century to World War I. One of the strongest reason - the Ottomans had one of the best military in the world.

Let's look at some countries who do not have a strong or efficient military.  The military may not be the only reason why a nation is weak but it is one of the biggest reasons.

1. Italy has had a weak military since the unification of the country in 1860.  After 150 years it still has a weak military.  As a descendant of the great Roman Empire which ruled the world for nearly 1500 years, Italy has little to show for it now. The Romans defined military science and tactics.  Most modern militaries still use the Roman Army method of military structure.  Roman military tactics are still studied today in war colleges.  In World War I, the Italian military was less than stellar.  At the battle of Caporetto, Italian forces were defeated and many of them deserted.  A huge embarrassment for the country.  Although they managed to finish the war with their victorious allies, the Italian military failed to impress anyone. In World War II they were inept at best.  The Italian military did show some flair in their conquest of Ethiopia in 1935, but this was a very short lived exception. Today, Italy is not a significant player on the world stage militarily.  
2. France was a big military power starting in the Napoleonic period. Next to Germany, they still have the strongest military in Europe. With the huge cost of fighting World War II and then the Vietnam war which culminated with their loss at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, France began a decline as a military power.  The French fought brilliantly in Vietnam but lost for reasons other than their military efficiency.
3. Greece became a great empire before the Romans because of their military prowess. The Greeks defeated the greatest empire of their day, Persia.  Later on Alexander the Great conquered the known world all the way to India.  For hundreds of years Greece ruled the world.  When Jesus was born, Greek was the spoken language of commerce in the world.  Greece eventually declined.  First the Romans took over from them;  when the Romans declined, Greece was swallowed by the Eastern Roman Empire, otherwise known as the Byzantine Empire.  The Byzantines were conquered by the Muslim Ottoman Turks in 1453 and Greece became part of the Ottoman Empire. Greece finally got its freedom from the Ottomans in 1821.  To this day, Greece is still secondary to Turkish military prowess as evidenced by the 1974 Turkish conquest of the half of Cyprus.  To this day, half of Cyprus is still occupied by the Turks.  In 1922 Greece was defeated by the Turkish Army as it tried to conquer Turkey after the defeat of the Ottoman Turks in World War I.