While I agree to an extent about Russia, perhaps it's a bad example since they have always been a land power. Meanwhile, China is returning to its status as a

While I agree to an extent about Russia, perhaps it's a bad example since they have always been a land power. Meanwhile, China is returning to its status as a global sea power, by investing heavily in its navy. And we can see the sort of domino effect this will have on global commerce and most importantly protecting trading routes. The crux of my argument is that a nations currency is only as good as the gun behind it. Do you think the European powers after WW2 would have even gone along with the Bretton Woods agreement without the U.S. having been the first nuclear power? France in particular did not want to go along with it, referred to it as America's "exorbitant privilege", then proceeded making nuclear weapons a national priority. Then in 1965, Charles De Gaulle sent the French Navy to the U.S. to pick up the French gold reserves. This lead, along with other factors, to the Nixon Shock and ending the gold peg. There are numerous historical examples. When you run a global empire, even a benevolent one, you still have to enforce it. Otherwise, you're just left with worthless pieces of paper.