Current US Military

[Smitty-48]

at the Geotrategic level the purpose of American power projection is to prevent WWIII

America is there to block the path to escalation in theatre

nobody can really get into a shooting war, nor do they need to, with America in the mix

if America wasn't in the Western Pacific, that is when China & Japan could go to war again

and they hate each, it's ethnic hatred, so they would go to war if left unchecked

this is what Pax Americana means

[Smitty-48]

also bear in mind that China & Japan are the largest foreign holdings of American debt

since America's actual fiscal gap is $160 trillion, that debt is never getting paid back

but that's not what they hold it for, America pays them interest on that debt

so if they got into a head to head fight, they would need more, more returns

they would start to demand more interest to hold the debt

at which point, the debt laden economy would start to implode

[DrYouth]

also bear in mind that China & Japan are the largest foreign holdings of American debt

since America's actual fiscal gap is $160 trillion, that debt is never getting paid back

but that's not what they hold it for, America pays them interest on that debt

so if they got into a head to head fight, they would need more, more returns

they would start to demand more interest to hold the debt

at which point, the debt laden economy would start to implode

Seems to me that this is where the global economy acts as peacekeeper.

Everyone’s interests are served by peace better than they are served by war.

Ethnic hatred is held in check by mutual interests.

Global capitalism ftw

[Smitty-48]

also bear in mind that China & Japan are the largest foreign holdings of American debt

since America's actual fiscal gap is $160 trillion, that debt is never getting paid back

but that's not what they hold it for, America pays them interest on that debt

so if they got into a head to head fight, they would need more, more returns

they would start to demand more interest to hold the debt

at which point, the debt laden economy would start to implode

Seems to me that this is where the global economy acts as peacekeeper.

Everyone’s interests are served by peace better than they are served by war.

Ethnic hatred is held in check by mutual interests.

Global capitalism ftw

well, that global stability is going away now

the capitalism is so corrupted by bad governance

so it is not effectively keeping things in check anymore

there's just a massive debt bubble building up, which is going to pop without warning at some point

it's tectonic, the pressure is building towards a volcanic event

[DrYouth]

there's just a massive debt bubble building up, which is going to pop without warning at some point

it's tectonic, the pressure is building towards a volcanic event

Debt held by the Asian countries you just referred to, that in some ways need America to keep paying that debt.

America seems at this point to be the economic engine poised to continue doing so.

Innovative, entrepreneurial, creative….
It hasn’t lost its mojo quite yet.

I’m not as pessimistic about this right now as you are.

[Smitty-48]

I’m not as pessimistic about this right now as you are.

I'm not pessimistic, I don't carry any debt, I own my property outright

I don't need the government to bail me out

the government can implode into a debt crisis without it being my problem, I hope they do

[TheOneX]

there's just a massive debt bubble building up, which is going to pop without warning at some point

it's tectonic, the pressure is building towards a volcanic event

Debt held by the Asian countries you just referred to, that in some ways need America to keep paying that debt.

America seems at this point to be the economic engine poised to continue doing so.

Innovative, entrepreneurial, creative….
It hasn’t lost its mojo quite yet.

I’m not as pessimistic about this right now as you are.

Correct, there is no way an major economy can attack the US economy without doing just as much or more harm to itself. The only way to harm the US economy without harming yourself is through a slow bleed.

[Smitty-48]

Correct, there is no way an major economy can attack the US economy without doing just as much or more harm to itself. The only way to harm the US economy without harming yourself is through a slow bleed.

but if rational interest was the driver of policy as to war, there would be no wars

history quite clearly shows that nations are not rational actors as to war

we've lived in a 75 year Pax Americana, but all Hegemons have an arc, it could end at any moment

empires do not degrade slowly, they end precipitously with little to no warning

the Pax Americana gives a false sense of permanence

as if this is nature itself, instead of merely a confluence of circumstance which is shifting rapidly

[Smitty-48]

I would submit, it's not economics keeping the peace

that's a causation correlation fallacy

the Pax Americana is Freedom of Navigation on the high seas

that is what keeps the peace, which then drives the economy

whenever the United States Navy is no longer able to guarantee Freedom of Navigation to all

that is when the Pax Americana ends

opening the way to countries confronting each other on the high seas once again

it's not about China attacking America directly

its just about China undermining Freedom of Navigation to all on the high seas

if they can do that, they have overthrown the Pax Americana

this is clearly China's strategy, but is it in China's rational self interest ?

I don't think it is driven by that, it is obviously nationalistic fervour & imperial adventure

[The Conservative]

there's just a massive debt bubble building up, which is going to pop without warning at some point

it's tectonic, the pressure is building towards a volcanic event

Debt held by the Asian countries you just referred to, that in some ways need America to keep paying that debt.

America seems at this point to be the economic engine poised to continue doing so.

Innovative, entrepreneurial, creative….
It hasn’t lost its mojo quite yet.

I’m not as pessimistic about this right now as you are.

Correct, there is no way an major economy can attack the US economy without doing just as much or more harm to itself. The only way to harm the US economy without harming yourself is through a slow bleed.

The path the current president is taking sure is countering your statement here.