> And yet they are the world's largest army by headcount and the second largest by budget. Of course. What's the point of amassing capital if you don't have th

> And yet they are the world's largest army by headcount and the second largest by budget. Of course. What's the point of amassing capital if you don't have the firepower to defend its interests? What do you think the US military exists for? Bringing freedom and democracy via drone strikes? Strong militaries are how you subjugate the weak and isolated, strong economies are how you subjugate the powerful and globally connected. But a strong military (or in lieu of that, a nuclear arsenal) also prevents other strong militaries from coming in and taking away your toys. > US will have to split attention and forces between China and whatever Russia is doing More importantly, Russia will come out extremely weakened from this war and with the entire West having committed to economic sanctions China will have an unbeatable upper hand as a trading partner. If Russia engages in direct conflict with the West, even better as long as things don't get out of hand.