[jazzyjackson]

A lot of Americans support America being the world police, yes, among them capitalists who like having international waters and various canals and straits open for business, but also a lot of Christians who consider more atheistic nations a threat to global christendom (hence the weird alliance between the American right and Orthodox Russia)

I recognize America has a lot to answer for (Israel too) but I also consider it preferable to a world with Islamic and communist nations being ascendent (the presumed outcome of a weaker America among those of us who like the defense budget where it's at)

[spwa4]

You neglect to mention that America is a nation, like Europe, with massive imports and exports. Which require safe seas. In particular, they require safe seas in the Mediterranean and especially the Suez Canal.

In other words, it's not like the US does this for brownie points. It's absolutely required for the economy the US has.

[suraci]

Thank you for proving my long-held guess

[jjtheblunt]

well there are also a lot of americans who support america _not_ being the world police.

[jazzyjackson]

Certainly! And we all have our bubbles, I wanted to add myself as a data point in the “nuclear carrier groups are badass” column, and obviously there as enough engineers who don’t mind working at defense contractors to build the things, just as there’s plenty of engineers who threaten to quit their job at the first hint of a military contract

[suraci]

i do agree with this