On topic - Interesting read from Stratfor

[mahnmut]

A Net Assessment of the World

"...The United States is, by far, the world's most powerful nation. That does not mean that the United States can - or has an interest to - solve the problems of the world, contain the forces that are at work or stand in front of those forces and compel them to stop. Even the toughest guy in the bar can't take on the

Comments

[htpcl]

A global cop would inevitably be tempted to use their leverage for selfish gains, and that's OK - as long as they do it responsibly, and use their heads for long-term thinking in the meantime. Otherwise it all tends to backfire on them at some point. That's the problem most of the so called Free World seems to be having with the US right now - not the very notion of a global cop per se, but the apparent disregard of the effects of short-term actions. Effects that usually affect both everyone around the event AND the cop themselves.

[luvdovz]

People are often prone to blaming all their problems on the dominant factor of the day, as history has shown time and time again. But that's not a sufficient excuse for packing up and leaving. A reasonable defense policy primarily rests upon national interest. It's not a populairy contest. Believing or expecting otherwise is naive and unrealistic.