I agree that the democracy within US is currently in crisis. Not just in the US, mind you – several countries in Europe, but also India, Israel, Turkey, what I'

I agree that the democracy within US is currently in crisis. Not just in the US, mind you – several countries in Europe, but also India, Israel, Turkey, what I've read described as the "putsch belt" in Central Africa, ... Hopefully, these crises will eventually resolve themselves, but there is no guarantee of that. If anything, the climate and energy crises, as well as the war in Ukraine, are going to make things harder on democracies. That being said, Europe has never stopped considering itself as a world power. Until now, it aimed mostly for soft power (for a definition of soft power that included having standing armies in a number of African countries). Shifting from soft power to military power is very dangerous, because this has a strong potential to escalate into actual armed conflict. With Russia, of course, but also possibly with Turkey, or China, or the US (in case authoritarianism wins on either side of the Atlantic), ... As much as possible, I'd prefer soft power. It's not as innocent as it sounds, but it makes fewer victims.