The war hawks and others are always saying that the US is the most powerful country on earth….if it is true…how did it become so?
Those who call themselves “patriots” are always spouting diatribes……all that chest thumping is marvelous but like so much in politics is an applause line not something substantial….like why and how did it become this omnipotent nation……
I found a little ditty that can explain just how this came into being…….
We take it for granted that the United States is the most powerful country on Earth today, and perhaps in human history. The story of how that came to be is long, fascinating, complex — and often misunderstood. Here, excerpted in part from “70 maps that explain America,” are maps that help show some of the key moments and forces that contributed to the US’s rise as sole global superpower.
Source: How America became the most powerful country on Earth, in 11 maps – Vox
History is a cruel bitch!
IMO – our downfall will be that the stronger we get, the lazier other countries become. (Got a problem? Leave it for the US or NATO)
Sounds accurate….plus this country has no shared experiences….we no longer think country first….
I feel it is commendable that we fight for the freedoms of all people, but there are only so many of us to spread around the world. We have to get realistic eventually.
I think we need to start asking the populace if it is freedom they want or not….before we commit troops to die….
Now, THAT is an excellent point !!
It’s like sharing a rental unit with a bunch of friends. Once it becomes clear that somebody is an Obsessive Compulsive clean freak, everybody else slowly stops cleaning up after themselves and leaves it to the person whose mental illness forces them to make everything spotless.
Likewise, non-rival nations to the US have increasingly sat back and let the control freak on steroids run the show. It’s cheaper, it poses less risk and other nations won’t hate you as much. Besides, if you said “boo” to the control freak, you’d probably be the target of the next “roid rage”.
Canuckistan has turned this into an art form, a Judo of sorts. It’s how we can afford Medicare for All and you “can’t”.
Tell me in which ways America is still the most powerful nation on earth? Might have been true a generation ago but I do not necessarily buy it right now.
We measure that by the capability of total destruction and the US is still in the lead.
America is kind of like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s long past his peak, a mere shadow of what he used to be in every measurable way. But he can still kick your ass, so you better listen….at least until he breaks a hip.
I’m afraid this one prompted only two minor thoughts. The first is an overall impression after reading/assimilating the article, to wit: our entire history has been one long example of opportunism at the expense of others…
Second, which was actually my first thought, why does it matter, at all? Is it so important to feel we, as a nation, are the most powerful? Perhaps it would be more to our moral, and realistic advantage to think about why we need to feel that way, and why we don’t feel adequate without such a crutch to our esteem.
gigoid, the dubious
You know the old thing about “size matters” type of thinking….chuq