When one’s own country is in grave disrepair, I would argue that said country is in no shape to fight a war, much less win it, proxy or otherwise.
The warmongering neocons are wrong. Their policies are not based on sincerity. Rather, they are based on serving the military industrial economic interests. The stated goal of stopping aggression and/or protecting democracy amounts to no more than an insincere cloak righteousness.
In one sentence, you have won this argument.