Borrowing Your Way to World Domination

I wonder if the United States is the first country in history to pay for the weapons it uses to dominate the world by borrowing the funds from the rest of the world?

The Roman Empire and the British Empire just marched around the planet grabbing things and enriching themselves by wringing taxes from the subject lands. The United States is different: It gets the money to bomb you by selling you bits of paper. People! Have you noticed that you're financing your own subjugation?