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While the world has looked upon the Russian invasion of Ukraine in shock and disbelief, the leaders of the world must have been forced to consider the question: what does a post-American global order look like?
America is a superpower with a robust resource pool, resilient economy, and excellent geographical position. The United States isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future, but our willingness to intervene in foreign nations seems to have dwindled and thus our status as the ‘policeman of the world’.
If a nation is not in NATO or a similar defensive pact with the United States, they must be looking at the decision of Ukraine to give up its nuclear stockpile in 1994 as a massive mistake. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, otherwise known as NPT, might be in serious jeopardy. It has been the assumption since the end of the Cold War that if you fall under western alignment or participate in the post-WWII economic order you would be relatively safe.
If Ukraine is able to be invaded by a belligerent, expansionist Russia; there doesn’t seem to be any reason to expect the relative global stability we have enjoyed for so long to last for much longer. COVID lockdowns and political incompetence have damaged the global economy and having access to key resources is no longer assured.
Why should we wait for the next domino to fall, especially when America is still in a strong position but becoming more inwardly focused? Countries viewing the world through this lens should be expected to raise their military spending, try to align with major powers in substantive treaties, and perhaps even develop nuclear weapons regardless of the NPT.
As Americans, we should anticipate what happens post-Ukraine. We should look to pursue energy independence, align with countries that have access to key resources such as semiconductors, and modernize our defenses to deal with what may be a chaotic future. Tomorrow is not that far away, and it is up to us to be prepared as individuals and families. True, the Ukraine/Russia war does not impact us directly, but we would be foolish to ignore the consequences of its utcome.
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