This whole thread is ridiculous. So I guess I'll contribute...
The current state of the world - where the US military is so relatively powerful - came about because the other powers (or potential powers) have largely acceded to the US being the military superpower. They are counting on the US being discrete with it's vast power - i.e. David Cameron does not spend a lot of time worrying over a surprise US strike on London. As a result, they can spend their money on other things - read this week's Newsweek about the new British defense budget, for example.
If the political situation in the US changed, then so would the balance of power. The US armed forces today are strong, unbelievably lethal, and global in scope. Any they could (and would) be countered by a combination of powers if the US suddenly turned evil.
I would point out that the current arrangement - in place since 1991 or so - is so popular that even after the US started an 'evil' war against Iraq that everyone protested, no one actually DID anything to counter the US. The French, for example, for all of their shouting, did not lay down 6 aircraft carriers to challenge US control of the Atlantic.
So unless the US is REALLY aggregious, nothing will change. The US will not militarily conquer the world because it already is doing so without an army, and the only military actions will be in response to rogue states or terrorism. The rest of world will decry the American military, criticize Americans for eating too much red meat, and do nothing to change it because they live protected by it.
Mike Turcotte
The current state of the world - where the US military is so relatively powerful - came about because the other powers (or potential powers) have largely acceded to the US being the military superpower. They are counting on the US being discrete with it's vast power - i.e. David Cameron does not spend a lot of time worrying over a surprise US strike on London. As a result, they can spend their money on other things - read this week's Newsweek about the new British defense budget, for example.
If the political situation in the US changed, then so would the balance of power. The US armed forces today are strong, unbelievably lethal, and global in scope. Any they could (and would) be countered by a combination of powers if the US suddenly turned evil.
I would point out that the current arrangement - in place since 1991 or so - is so popular that even after the US started an 'evil' war against Iraq that everyone protested, no one actually DID anything to counter the US. The French, for example, for all of their shouting, did not lay down 6 aircraft carriers to challenge US control of the Atlantic.
So unless the US is REALLY aggregious, nothing will change. The US will not militarily conquer the world because it already is doing so without an army, and the only military actions will be in response to rogue states or terrorism. The rest of world will decry the American military, criticize Americans for eating too much red meat, and do nothing to change it because they live protected by it.
Mike Turcotte