Are we witnessing the collapse of America?

Many countries depend on us in a war especially places like Norway which were right by the USSR. The Americans are willing to waste all that money and we buy all their films and music so we like each other. In theory the US army is most of the UN army in the early stages of a war. We have it all ready and waiting and the EU will need a few weeks at least. In the past few years they no longer trust us. Trump is just too unstable and unlikable. I'd like to see us downsize but at the cost of abandoning countries. Most places we are now we are not wanted. Having an American base full of Americans who spend Euros in the local town and at worse get too drunk and bother women is not the same as "invading" a religious home land in the Middle East.

 

I agree with the part about the religious homeland of other cultures. Our military isn't trained to make the smallest "footprint" so to speak... They probably tromp around in cammo scaring locals.

At the same time, I feel like Afghanistan would be overrun by terrorism (still is...) if we weren't there. Were it not for the United States military presence, that country would not be as well off as they are; though they are still struggling.

 

We do have some benefit there. We need to change their perception of that benefit. The Americans there see all of them as their enemy. The same thing happened in Vietnam. Since they are militia group with no uniform they look like everyone else. Obviously they are not going to tell you they are in the militia and they could act like a normal civilian needing help to ambush or spy on you. The average Muslim there is told by the terrorists that even if you don't agree with our violence at least we care for you when the Americans hate you.

Maybe if Muslims were actually treated well the Muslims in the countries we occupy would believe we wanted to help them. Right now they think you want to steal oil and kill them.

 

That's a remnant of American xenophobia, and why some people will not accept that America lost the Vietnam war.

Trump mentioned that he has kept us out of war(s), but at the same time has upped the defense budget. That is done to appease the military industrial complex.