Why is the United States the world police?

[Dill]

(07-22-2017, 11:54 PM)Nebuchadnezzar Wrote: Why is the United States the world police and what would happen if the United States stops being the world police?

This is discussed on the Aircraft Carriers thread, posts 6-16.

In my view, if the US stops being the world police then China and Russia will fill the vacuum.  The result will be greater instability, wars in both the Middle East, Africa, and the Far East, perhaps in Eastern Europe as well. 

The US economy will shrink and other countries will largely set the terms of international trade. If the US or US assets are attacked, the ability of the US to defend itself will be greatly reduced.

Also, for greater accuracy, the US is not the world police all by itself. It generally "leads" nations in police actions like the Gulf War and sanctions against bad actors.

The question about "world police" is really a question about leadership. Does the US want to retreat and let others lead, perhaps reacting to events on its own in the future.