> no real enemies left since 1992 and nothing to fight for since the U.S. achieved oil independence recently
There is one big enemy on the horizon: China, which gets ever more and more aggressive. That trade war may very well escalate in a real war, with the Chinese holding an absurd amount of leverage since the US doesn't have much manufacturing at home any more.
In addition, there is Africa - which is the only market that hasn't been saturated already and only needs a bit of kickstarting. China has seen this and massively invested, and they will sell to Africa and grow on that, not the US.
What's the problem with that? How does rich and prosperous China threaten U.S. security? If anything, destitute and hopeless one does - they would have nothing to lose and would push through some radical agenda for the rulers to stay in power. If China becomes richer and more influential, there is nothing bad for the U.S. in that. World isn't zero-sum.
Soviet Union was dangerous because it pushed through Communist ideas which threatened to uproot everything the Western world stands upon, starting with family and religion. China isn't going to do any of that shit, they are a super-pragmatic nation and they don't believe into any "ideas" themselves for that matter.
If their way of government threatens Western democracy i'm more on the side of them rather than Western democracy: i strongly believe that market capitalism is incompatible with (universal) electoral democracy and for them to coexist, you have to turn one of them, or both, into fakes. It's time for West to get back republican model of government back to it's roots when only responsible, tax-paying immovable properly/production asset owners voted. If Chinese pressure will nudge them to do it sooner, good for them!
That a superpower that basically shits on human rights has no one to tell them to fuck off?
> If China becomes richer and more influential, there is nothing bad for the U.S. in that.
It is, because (actually right now) China holds leverage over the US. They ban exports to the US, the US economy grinds to a halt.
> Soviet Union was dangerous because it pushed through Communist ideas which threatened to uproot everything the Western world stands upon, starting with family and religion.
What's the problem with communism, per se? And communism has nothing against families.
> China isn't going to do any of that shit, they are a super-pragmatic nation and they don't believe into any "ideas" themselves for that matter.
There is one big enemy on the horizon: China, which gets ever more and more aggressive. That trade war may very well escalate in a real war, with the Chinese holding an absurd amount of leverage since the US doesn't have much manufacturing at home any more.
In addition, there is Africa - which is the only market that hasn't been saturated already and only needs a bit of kickstarting. China has seen this and massively invested, and they will sell to Africa and grow on that, not the US.