Not quite. Most wars are avoided since one side or the other backs down. If it's obvious you'll lose, you don't go to war. The US projects a lot of power worldw

Not quite. Most wars are avoided since one side or the other backs down. If it's obvious you'll lose, you don't go to war. The US projects a lot of power worldwide because of its superior military. It's sufficiently superior that you have peace through superior firepower. If the US asks for something, and an aircraft carrier shows up off your coast, what do you do? The only time you have wars is if either the military powers are nearly equal, or the demands are over-the-top unreasonable. * China won't take over Taiwan while the US is defending Taiwan if the US can defeat China in open warfare. * If things are close, it'll think twice about trying. That'd be an expensive bit of work. * If China has clear military superiority, I think they'd topple Taiwan's government overnight. The US would back down. The whole point of a big stick is that you don't have to use it. If I come up to you on the street, point a gun at you, and politely ask for your wallet, I'm much more likely to get your wallet than to need to use my gun.