Pope Francis Decries ‘Very Dangerous Alliance’ Between U.S. and Russia

[exnihilo]

Historically speaking, The Roman Empire, Persian Empire or the Mongol Empire all had more global influence and fear on the planet than the United States of America. Yes, the US made a HUGE mark on global communication but we are just a powerful military - and not much more than that, historically speaking.

I don’t know how you would compare, but I think we can all agree on some things. The US currency is like gold but better. It buys you anything and the US can just print all it wants. The US military can and does attack people anywhere in the world on short notice. So while us Americans don’t fear our country other people throughout the world might. Hollywood is a huge source of culture the world over. Again, I don’t know how to compare but it seems to me the US is very powerful and far reaching.

 

[M-Dent]

I don’t know how you would compare, but I think we can all agree on some things. The US currency is like gold but better. It buys you anything and the US can just print all it wants. The US military can and does attack people anywhere in the world on short notice. So while us Americans don’t fear our country other people throughout the world might. Hollywood is a huge source of culture the world over. Again, I don’t know how to compare but it seems to me the US is very powerful and far reaching.

The topic (the way you framed it) deserves another thread at some point?

 

[Justin_Swanton]

The US is unique in that it is the first nation in history to exercise complete and undisputed naval supremacy over all the world’s oceans. It has 10 Nimitz-class carriers and one Ford-class carrier with another on the way. The next most powerful navy has one carrier. If all the navies of the world combined against the US they would last about a month.

Controlling the oceans has all sorts of consequences - the US is immune from attack, it can bring overwhelming force to any point on the planet, and the world economy - dependent upon oceangoing shipment of goods - functions with its placet.

The US however is not an empire in the traditional sense of the word: one nation or people exercising direct military and political control over several other nations/peoples. It doesn’t have to be.

And to state the obvious: I think it would be a very, very good thing if the Pope disinvolved himself from politics and made at least a couple of initial steps towards reining in the doctrinal and moral anarchy that is gaining ground within the Church. Right now Catholicism - as a human institution - has a very big beam to get out of its eye.

But of course we know this isn’t going to happen.

 

[EIF5A]

What’s Russia’s position on Israel?

Ally or mostly neutral?

 

[mikekle]

The US is unique in that it is the first nation in history to exercise complete and undisputed naval supremacy over all the world’s oceans. It has 10 Nimitz-class carriers and one Ford-class carrier with another on the way. The next most powerful navy has one carrier. If all the navies of the world combined against the US they would last about a month.

Controlling the oceans has all sorts of consequences - the US is immune from attack, it can bring overwhelming force to any point on the planet, and the world economy - dependent upon oceangoing shipment of goods - functions with its placet.

That is all true right now, but eventually the biggest baddest kid on the playground falls and another replaces him, and usually the bigger/ badder they are, the harder and quicker they fall.

I think people forget to consider this.