(copying another reply)

It might be an unpopular viewpoint....but neocolonialism is necessary.

Perhaps not the right choice of word but I mean the term 'neocolonialism' here in the sense of introducing peoples to our ways of life: democracy, capitalism, human rights.

The long and short of it is that, you can only get with the web of conflicting interests, pure monetary dealings, etc so far. You don't make any lasting alliance with a peoples and a system fundamentally opposed to you. If you isolate away, they will continue falling into the trap of systems like China and Russia who are quite happy to take your place and have completely opposite ideals to you. Eventually you will be left more and more alone on the world stage with no true allies if you let them keep doing it, and one day you will be finished off by soft or hard means when those entities, who kept expanding their outreach, became powerful enough.

Tldr; Defensive fire. Its not that you want to engage in neocolonialism, but you will have to do so as long as your enemies engage in neocolonialism. The logic is no different than that behind maintaining a traditional military power really.

This is 2001-2004 all over again. I just don’t believe in the Us policing the world and establishing democracy any more.

I get no satisfaction knowing an African is listening to American radio or Chinese radio.

If we want to win some kind of ideological battle let’s start by actually having a better place to live that others want to emulate.

We have no moral authority to influence others and preach a better way of living if we can’t solve our own problems at home.

Some cultures are constitutionally unable to be good. I have no hope Afghans or Iranians will ever become civilized of their own accord. I strongly believe a strong program of colonialism (unlike the ultra soft approach used in Afghanistan previously) is needed for these peoples.