Summary
Pete Hegseth, Trump’s newly appointed Secretary of Defense, suggested military action could be on the table for securing U.S. control over the Panama Canal and Greenland.
In a Fox News interview, he warned that the U.S. would ensure “freedom of navigation” in Panama, while vaguely addressing Trump’s strategic interest in Greenland.
His confirmation hearing earlier this month raised concerns when he refused to rule out military action.
Critics worry his stance signals Trump’s willingness to provoke conflicts with allies over geopolitical ambitions.
If the US went full Nazi Germany and tried to take over the world, could they be stopped?
Yes fairly easily. They could not beat the Taliban. They could not beat the Houthis. They could not beat the Vietcong. They could not even beat Hamas.
The US can destroy key civilian infrastructure but beyond that their military is incapable of conquering land and keeping it.
The US air force is powerless against the unbeatable strategy of digging holes in the ground.
The industrial centers of the US are almost entirely within blue states. It is only through the quirkiness of the Electoral College that the GOP continues to exist.
Trumpler would quickly find himself on the losing side of a civil war.
Well, they were stopped by rice farmers in Vietnam, so probably. But then, they were “sensible” enough not to use nukes.
No country could realistically go toe-to-toe with the US military:
China might have a larger standing army, but they don’t have the logistics to move them globally.
Russia is busy getting its ass kicked in Ukraine, and even if it weren’t its invasion of Ukraine has shown they’re nowhere near-peer to the US.
A combined NATO + EU + UK might give it a good go, but not all of them (Hungary and Turkiye obviously) would want to stand against Putin’s agenda like that. Also, trying to oppose the US and support Ukraine would definitely strain those countries as well.
I think the only unknown variable is, if the US suddenly went all “conquering imperialism” how much civilian unrest would occur? Unlike the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions there wouldn’t be any high-minded moral veneer to hide behind, so would Americans put up with it?
I am much less optimistic about that answer than I was four months ago.
I think so? Much of their might comes from their friends (and the money that they pay them for defense, eg, weapons). It would not be overnight and there would have to be a concerted effort… But on the other hand, Russia survives. So I guess USA would become Russia?