The US and USSR leaned against each other for 45 years.
Then the USSR collapsed. The US under George Bush and Bill Clinton failed to step back and right itself.
It is only a matter of time until the US falls over.
What is certain is that the US national debt is at the height of the WWII level, and rising rapidly beyond that level now. The idiocy is baked into the cake, so to speak.
As you observe correctly, "The US under George Bush and Bill Clinton failed to step back and right itself." From then until now, that so-called "peace dividend" has only managed to tally up to and beyond $30 TRILLION dollars.
What cannot continue will stop.
Debt ClockFederal Budget Deficit Grew to $2 Trillion in FY 2023 Tax Foundation, 12 October 2023