"Compared to the United States military spending, they have spent trivial amounts on their own defenses" Strictly said, the US does not spend that much on its

"Compared to the United States military spending, they have spent trivial amounts on their own defenses" Strictly said, the US does not spend that much on its defense either. Most of the expenses go into projecting power afar. Strategic goals of, say, Poland, are different. They won't be fighting China over Taiwan, and so they don't need aircraft carriers or a chain of bases around the world. They might invest in an atomic bomb of their own, though. "Much of the world is now at the mercy of the United States" In what sense? If the US starts another hot war in, say, the Middle East, I suspect that the outcomes won't be much better than they were in Iraq. "they must bend the knee" This only works if the giant has some consistent goals. The current US administration seems to flail around instead of pursuing some particular intelligible path. Instead of bending knees, a dozen countries will start developing their own nukes. Non-proliferation might not be dead, but it is certainly critically ill.