National midlife crisis

The United States is getting ready to open up space for its military. It will no doubt start a new round of global arm race. It is increasingly apparent that we are starting on the decline and fall of the American Empire. The threat of the big stick was once enough to exercise superpower; now, they have to swing that stick wildly for fear of no one is listening to them. This makes for a much more dangerous time. The more that stick is swung, the more people will get hurt and less effective it becomes. Pierre Elliott Trudeau once said, “Living next to (the USA) is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. No matter how friendly or temperate the beast, one is affected by every twitch and grunt.” Well, with advancing age the beast is no longer friendly or temperate. Let’s just hope we do not get crushed too badly before it gets over this midlife crisis to accept tranquil old age.