Phat Unplugged

That is exactly my experience. I got help from friends and family when I was struggling, and they never asked for anything in return. Instead of paying it back, I pay it forward.To tie this back to our allies, that is exactly what happens. We give aid when help is needed, and down the line those same countries will help out allies, perhaps even the US. Why do (or did) we have such a strong alliance in Europe? Because of what we did during and especially after WW II. Without us, Russia may have very well rolled over the rest of Europe. We also helped to rebuild their countries and economies, ultimately to our own benefit as we grew wealthier together.For someone to think this should be a direct 1:1 transactional process, they need to look back at history. They need to understand why the US is (or was) a leader in the free world.

The U.S. is not "comfortable."
The WWII paradigm is over.

I hope you bought all that gold you talk about.

Then name a country that is more comfortable. It could easily be argued that the US has (or at least had) the best economy out of the G7 and China. Doesn't have to be.

I assume he means the Cold War paradigm since the Soviet Union was an ally during WWII. In other words, he doesn't think we need concern ourselves with NATO or Europe, as if neither is any longer a factor in our security or well-being.But it's just one more nonsensical bald declaration by Phat, accompanied by no evidence or argument.--Percy

Then Phat is ignoring Putin's attempts to dust off the Iron Curtain and reinstall it.The larger economic model involves US leadership. The US guarantees safe shipping lanes across the globe, a solid reserve currency, and access to the US market which is the strongest market in the world (for now). What the US expects in return is support for US goals across the globe. This system has worked since the end of WWII, and there is no reason why it can't continue.