Don't overlook geography. The fact that we have easy access to both major world oceans is also a _huge_ part of why we have been successful as a nation. It grea

Don't overlook geography. The fact that we have easy access to both major world oceans is also a _huge_ part of why we have been successful as a nation. It greatly simplifies both international trade and naval power projection. We would have been on the winning side of those conflicts no matter which side we chose.