Quote Originally Posted by MarcusAureliusAntoninus View Post
Carthage didn't seem to have any desire to control Italy or much of anything. They were more of a trade empire made from colonies rather then conquered peoples and territories.
That is true, but control, whether through allied trade colonies or direct rule over Italy would certainly have given them an immense amount of money through trade throughout the whole Western Mediterranean, and may have been in the interests of them. Besides, Italy and/or Spain could have become the semi-autonomous Barcid Empire, with more direct military control over their territories, to the benefit of Carthage or not.