Canadian_Mind Canadian_Mind:
Jabberwalker Jabberwalker:
You have to wonder if the US is going to hold together.
Whether it does or it doesn't, it's power is going to decline. Unless we are willing to develop a relationship with Russia/China akin to the one we have with the USA (and accept the abrupt changes that come with it) we need to develop the capacity to effectively tell them to fuck off whenever needed. Unlike the USA whom we could never win against without the entirety of NATO backing us, I do believe we could develop and maintain the capacity to solo against both Russia and China if relations degraded to the point where we had to defend our own shores.
Nukes. Everybody who is anybody has them or is trying to get them. In the scenario where the US tanks, and Russia doesn't, we'd never be able to stop the with conventional weapons.
But the US has a lot of room to decline and still be one of a dominant powers, just not the only world superpower. We should also be asking how Russia will keep from holding it together. And China has problems coming up with all their men who can't find women and an economy trying to grow up - their growth rates are declining and they have no social support systems for all the people who will want jobs. Then, look out, but it could also turn to internal war.
I still think there will be a lot of pressure on us for our resources from the US. At some point, a union may be inevitable, and make the most sense. (Not advocating for this). We should be looking at how to get the best deal in that scenario, ie full statehood for each province.