zlacker

England disengaged because they could not afford to run their empire anymore. They ended up as a vassal state of the USA. They were lucky because they remained in the same general cultural area. I wonder whom the USA will be a vassal to.

BTW the UK and France resisted that disengagement when they attempted to keep Suez from Egypt in 1956 but that expedition failed, also because the USA didn't like it.

>>pmontr+(OP)
Putin's propaganda really likes to portray allies as suzerains and vassals to turn them against each other.

>>mepian+z
I know what Russia says about reduced sovereignity. Every world and regional power pulls the strings of their allies in their sphere of influence, Russia too.

>>pmontr+(OP)
re: “”I wonder whom the USA will be a vassal to.””

I hope not (!) and don’t think so. We have major natural resources and advantages. I can’t imagine a future where, assuming we mostly withdrew from the world’s stage, that any country would mess with us.

>>mark_l+E2
Indeed, I think the country will mess with itself. America is not a cozy, isolated community that lives a happy and simple life with mostly internal trading.

America lives of a constant influx of the best global talent and a global market for its products.

I would bet my money that American democracy would not survive when that ecosystem collapses, especially not as the American system has already transitioned into an anocracy according to some. Collapse in itself would create opportunities, but not for a simple programmer as you refer to yourself.

>>pmontr+(OP)
>England ... ended up as a vassal state of the USA

I think is a bit unfair. The state is the UK and we cooperate with the US but are not especially told what to do by them. I note with Ukraine the UK were the first to supply anti tank weapons, long range missiles, allow strikes on Russian territory with their weapons and so on and the US tagged along after.