[diego_moita]

> Intelligence like defense has been outsourced to the US and Europe shows no signs of resuming their own defense.

Disclaimer: Brazilian here.

This is where you don't get it: there is a growing gap on what "defence" means to the US and the rest of the world. And this is precisely where the problems arise. Gradually the US will have to spend more and more to protect national interests that no one else cares about. Eventually the costs will outweigh the gains. This is part of the story of the British Empire fall.

G.W. Bush also thought that "America can go alone". Then he discovered that military power is too expensive to be the only way to implement hegemony. You also need the "soft power", the ability to persuade people without using guns. This is precisely where US power is eroding.

[jebblue]

If we didn't protect the border between North and South Korea with several tens of thousands of troops each year for the past 6 decades; there are many popular brands of electronics and cars that would probably not exist today.

[a_c_s]

Talking specifically about troops, I don't buy it - we have more troops than needed as a 'tripwire' to warn of an attack, but nowhere near enough to repel a full-on North Korean assault.