Because America entered both world wars of the 20th century last, while all the other great powers bled one another, and because we outlasted the Soviet Empire in the Cold War, America emerged, in the term of President George H.W. Bush, as “the last superpower.”
We had it all. We were the “indispensable nation.” We saw further into the future. We could impose our “benevolent global hegemony” on all mankind. And so it was that we set out to create a “new world order,” plunging into successive wars in Iraq, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq again, Syria, Libya, Yemen.
So doing, we bled ourselves, distracted ourselves, exhausted ourselves and sundered ourselves, until half the country was echoing George McGovern’s 1972 campaign slogan: “Come home, America.”
And as we went crusading for a new world order, Vladimir Putin’s Russia gradually recovered from its crushing Cold War defeat, and China began to move out of America’s shadow to become the most powerful rival modern America had ever faced.
Now, U.S. hegemony is being everywhere challenged — in Eastern Europe, the Near East, Southeast Asia, East Asia. And the challenges arise from autocrats united in their resolve to reduce the power and the presence of the United States in their part of the world.
All of America’s adversaries have something in common: They want us out of their neighborhood.
After President Joe Biden’s humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan, Ukraine is the site of the latest challenge, triggered by Russia’s deployment of some 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders.
Given that he caused this crisis, Putin is unlikely to withdraw all his forces without visible assurances that Ukraine never becomes a member of NATO. And, given that no NATO ally or neighbor of Ukraine has shown a disposition to fight Russia for Ukraine, Putin is likely ultimately to prevail.
Neither Georgia nor Ukraine will soon be invited to join NATO, no matter the “open door” policy of the alliance.
And as Putin is committed to creating a sphere of influence where no next-door neighbor is a NATO ally, we are probably only at the beginning of a series of crises over the exclusion of nations from the alliance.
A second member of the global anti-American front is Iran.
The U.S. and Iran are said to be close to renewing the nuclear deal from which former President Donald Trump walked away. Yet, the persistent threat from Iran and its radical allies like the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Shia militia in Syria and Iraq, and Hezbollah in Lebanon is likely to complicate any U.S. effort to extricate ourselves from a Middle East that has consumed so much of our attention and resources since 9/11.
In East Asia, China has begun anew sending military aircraft into the Air Defense Identification Zone of Taiwan, and it has never relinquished its claim to that island of 24 million and former U.S. ally. After the Ukraine crisis is resolved, Taiwan is likely to soon be back on the front burner.
If we would not fight Russia on behalf of Ukraine, why would we go to war with China to defend the independence of Taiwan, when, 50 years ago this month, President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger declared Taiwan to be “a part of China”?
North Korea has resumed testing its cruise and ballistic missiles. And Pyongyang is not going to hold off forever the testing of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The question here is how far off is the next confrontation. And, as there is no U.S. national disposition to fight for Ukraine, it is hard to believe that, 70 years after sending 350,000 troops to South Korea, we would send an army of that size to again fight the North.
Bottom line: The balance of power is constantly shifting. And in this new century, it has been shifting in favor of America’s adversaries, all of whom wish to see us diminished.
Where former President George W. Bush warned of an “axis of evil” that included Iraq, Iran and North Korea, its successor today includes Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, a far more formidable axis. Moreover, America’s relative power and willingness to use it is far diminished from what it was in George Bush’s day.
The new correlation of forces:
North Korea has become a full-fledged nuclear power with intercontinental ballistic missiles that can hit the USA. Russia’s armed forces are more imposing than they were two decades ago. China has swept past every rival power to the United States, while America’s allies are less powerful and less united behind it.
Meanwhile, America has run up a national debt larger than the entire U.S. economy. Its trade deficits are at record levels. Its borders are being overrun by migrants from all over the world. And its disposition to intervene, engage and fight for democracy has rarely been lower.
The global stress test of the last superpower is on, and it is not likely we will pass it with a grade as high as the one we had earned by the Cold War’s end.
Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.” To find out more about Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.
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What could go wrong? We or rather the Democrat Party values the pretense of unilateral equality. Where everybody is equal in every way. No winners, everybody is a winner even if they don’t play. Everybody deserves exactly the same, even if you won’t work or go to school.
To fully advance the Demonic, Lying, Treasonous, Socialist Democrat Party’s destructive agendas: is to divide our citizens with hate and promote; rioting, burning, looting, open borders, gun control, radical feminism, abortion-on-demand, the LGBTQ lifestyle, unfettered sexual identity, transgender “gay marriage” and the like, the pagan Liberal left Democrats must do away with GOD, our Constitution, common sense, morality, Christian values and free religious exercise altogether.
Under the guise of “anti-discrimination.”
Exactly what is your fair share of what someone else has worked for?
The U.S. Constitution is no longer binding and Laws are not obeyed if they get in the way of the Democrat Party’s agendas.
The U.S. military has become nothing more than a LGBTQ social club, where feeling are more important than defending our country.
Jude 1:7
Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
As long as our borders are kept wide open for any and every criminal and terrorists we have no business defending any other country . Of course politicians get a hell of a lot more money from foreign powers so it only stands to reason this rogue empire would look out for their bank accounts first before considering Americans safety.
“Putin is unlikely to withdraw all his forces without visible assurances that Ukraine never becomes a member of NATO.”,,,,so just give it to him and honor it just like he honors his own assurances, like Biden who is in bed with them honors his promises. All is fair in love and war, and I assure you, we ARE at war, with the forces of world socialist dominance. Putin needs to understand that if he invades Ukraine, he loses the Crimea and the real government of Belarus will be reinstated from the one Putin recently stole from them in fake election, and his land grab hoodwink, will just end him and his troops in the drink. Without the USA as a partner Stalin would never have defeated Hitler. With the USA as his enemy, he will fold in any conventional war, and be vaporized in any nuclear one. Biden needs to tell him if he invades one mile into the Ukraine, his time as Russia’s leader will be a short one. Does the name Soleimani ring a bell? Not too many Russians would weep if he got vaporized.
Exactly. Since the EXPRESS PURPOSE of the US military, is to “DEFEND THE NATION”.. AND One of the MAIN STATED GOALS OF congress (as per the constitution) Is also to “DEFEND THE NATION”.. THEN TILL OUR US MILITARY MIGHT< is used to DO JUST that, and DEFEND OUR DAMN BORDER, NOT ONE troop should be placed in ANY Other nation, to defend ITS BORDER…
PERIOD!!!!
And this is all being aided and abetted by our domestic enemies—who, unfortunately, are the very “leaders” on every local, state, and national level because they have entered into self-enriching deals—allowing themselves to be bought and sold and squeezed into promoting anything and everything anti-America.
Had previous administrations done what they should have done and placed America’s interests first, we would not be facing the foreign threats that we face today. It takes a lot more than standing in front of a camera with an American flag backdrop and wearing an American flag lapel pin. It takes a lot more than pitching empty campaign promises with all of the catchphrases that people want to hear. It takes common sense, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to America, its founding, its Constitution, and its values and principles.
Fake leaders who want only to lie, deceive, manipulate—who choose to operate on a double standard—who are indifferent to participating in criminal behavior—who are willing to sell out our country—they have no place here.
HAD previous admins been THIS Traitorous, i feel we’d have ALREADY rebelled and booted them out.
Washington DC degraded our Country. Building up communist China, by sending our factories there, funding the Wuhan Lab, open borders with Mexico, letting antifa and blm rise in our own Country, cutting off our oil production, giving the ok so the Russians can provide natural gas and oil to Europe, so in essence this enriches the Russians. The traitors of Washington DC have sold out our Country.
“If we would not fight Russia on behalf of Ukraine, why would we go to war with China to defend the independence of Taiwan” Good question. Much of the answer lies in trade, particularly high tech trade. Last year, the US exported a bit over $2.5 billion and imported $1.9 billion from Ukraine. Taiwan in 2021 we exported almost $37 billion and imported more than $77 billion. Six of 10 of the top motherboard manufacturers are Taiwanese companies with the top 4 all being Taiwanese. I would think that keeping these companies out of Communist China’s hands would be one good reason.
Especially since much of the circuitboards our mILITARY gets, are made in Taiwan. IF CHINA TAKES that over, our national defense is at risk.