[AndyJackson]

the USA has a profound interest in halting the reconstruction of Moscow's empire.

We do? What do you think "Moscow's Empire" would look like? How much of the effort to expand Russian legal jurisdiction to surrounding Russian speaking areas is the result of the US trying to arm those areas to cause the collapse of the Russian federation. Turns out that their weak about to collapse culture is a whole lot more resillient than we imagined. Our globalist geniuses imagined culture does not even matter and began a process of undermining our own so that Americans would fit into the glboal managerialist structure "they" all imagined for us. We are in the midst of a cold civil war ourselves while the Russians seem to be doing just fine in that regard.

Because of our strategic misdirection we cannot even defend our genuine vital interests - keeping sea lines of communication open for international trade. We put our efforts into trying to become an Asian land power rather than strenthen our maritime security. Our force strucutre is all wrong, we are globally overextended, and we are so overextneded at the bank that the cost of rebalancing our forces will only be within our capability if the world will allows us to print even more money - at their expense - to pay for it.

[Chad C. Mulligan]

What do you think "Moscow's Empire" would look like?

Did you REALLY ask that question? Do you know NOTHING of the thankfully defunct Soviet Union? Incredible!

[Reily]

What would Moscow’s Empire look like?

The borders of pre-1914 Imperial Russia if they can get it.

[gleeaikin]

Apparently you are unaware that for the past century, and perhaps much longer, Russia’s pattern has been to conquer or occupy a territory, move many of the residents out, often to Siberia, and then move ethnic Russians in. This for example is what has happened in Crimea. Lots of Crimean residents moved out, and Russian real estate thieves and elderly retirees seeking warmer winters have moved in. Perhaps someone else has more details on the Ukrainians from Crimea and their actual fate—killed, transported away by Russia, fled to Ukraine or Turkey, etc.

Thus Russia always moves in Russians and then says, of course they have a right to protect their Russian speakers. For example RUssia now has Kaliningrad, which once was part of East Prussia. My grandparents left there around 1890 to become Americans, but we had relatives fleeing across the Baltic by sled in the middle of winter during WW2. I was told an relative was Mayor of Korningsburg (sp?) in the time of my grandparents or great grandparents. So now, the many Prussian Germans have left, and the Russians have been moved in, so of course Russia has a right to control and “protect” them. Yeah!

[BroJoeK]

Chad C. Mulligan: "the USA has a profound interest in halting the reconstruction of Moscow's empire."

AndyJackson: "We do?
What do you think "Moscow's Empire" would look like?"

This map shows the old 1914 Tsarist Russian Empire.
Notice that it includes all or parts of:

1. Finland (NATO member)
2. Estonia (NATO member)
3. Latvia (NATO member)
4. Lithuania (NATO member)
5. Poland (NATO member)
6. Belarus (NATO Partner for Peace)
7. Ukraine (NATO Partner for Peace)
8. Moldova (NATO Partner for Peace)
9. Romania (NATO member)
10. Georgia (NATO Partner for Peace)
11. Armenia (NATO Partner for Peace)
12. Azerbaijan (NATO Partner for Peace)
13. Turkmenistan (NATO Partner for Peace)
14. Kazakhstan (NATO Partner for Peace)
15. Kyrgyzstan (NATO Partner for Peace)
16. Tajikistan (NATO Partner for Peace)
17. Uzbekistan (NATO Partner for Peace)

Then there are countries of the Old Soviet Empire Warsaw Pact which included all of:

1. East Germany (NATO member)
2. Poland (NATO member)
3. Czechoslovakia (NATO member)
4. Hungary (NATO member)
5. Romania (NATO member)
6. Bulgaria (NATO member)
7. Albania (NATO member)

AndyJackson: "How much of the effort to expand Russian legal jurisdiction to surrounding Russian speaking areas is the result of the US trying to arm those areas to cause the collapse of the Russian federation."

That sounds like a vodka-besotted Russian fever-dream from Russian regions where temperatures were below freezing this morning.

So, I don't think any legitimate court on earth would allow "Russian paranoia" as a legal excuse for Vlad the Invader's conquests and murders in Russia's neighboring countries.

AndyJackson: "Turns out that their weak about to collapse culture is a whole lot more resillient than we imagined."

Sorry, but nobody outside Russia's borders cares a whit about "Russian culture" -- Russkiy Mir -- so long as Russia's military stays inside Russia's internationally recognized borders, so...

• If the Old Soviets wanted to be officially atheist murderers, then fine, that's their choice.
  
• If the New Russians want to be good Russian Orthodox Christians, then fine, that's their choice.
  
• And if they wish to pretend Christianity while still being Old Soviet atheist murderers, that's their choice too -- nobody outside Russia cares in the least.

So long as Russians keep their military inside their own borders, they can do whatever the h*ll they want with their own Russkiy Mir culture.

AndyJackson: "Our globalist geniuses imagined culture does not even matter and began a process of undermining our own so that Americans would fit into the glboal managerialist structure "they" all imagined for us."

Presumably this refers to such things as "Woke", "DEI", "CRT", "1619", gender-bender, pornography and child sexual mutilations in schools... what did I leave out?
All of that is politically driven and will effectively end once balance is restored to politics, hopefully beginning November 5, 2024.
Who exactly these "globalist geniuses" might be or what exactly is a "glboal managerialist structure" I don't think can be defined without frequent refuge in afore mentioned Vodka bottles.

AndyJackson: "We are in the midst of a cold civil war ourselves while the Russians seem to be doing just fine in that regard."

So far, Russians have proved remarkably obedient to their Kremlin masters.
My guess is this results from the Kremlin carefully dividing Russia's population up among those loyalists who are treated well and protected from brutal military service versus those ethnic non-Russians considered less worthy, and so become Russian Army "Meat Wave" cannon fodder in Ukraine.

AndyJackson: "Because of our strategic misdirection we cannot even defend our genuine vital interests - keeping sea lines of communication open for international trade."

US DDGs anti-missile and drone defense:

Actually, for many years now the US has tried to turn responsibility for maintaining safe sea lanes, against pirates & terrorists, over to our allies and friends -- since all of them have vastly more interest in international trade than we do.
Among major nations the USA is dead last in our percentage of economic dependence on international trade -- roughly 25% versus, for examples: Japan which is 50% and Germany at nearly 100%.

Today, around the Red Sea the US and UK provide area defense picket ships, while other countries like France and Spain escort ships through the Bab El Mandeb {drink!}.

AndyJackson: "We put our efforts into trying to become an Asian land power rather than strenthen our maritime security.
Our force strucutre is all wrong, we are globally overextended..."

All of that is 100% nonsense.
Here's the truth: The sole, exclusive purpose of the US Navy is to deter war by being able to destroy the naval powers of CCP Xi-snake's China, Vlad the Invader's Russia, Little Kim's NoKo and the Moolah Mullahs' Iran, simultaneously.
As those navies are rendered harmless, the US Navy maintains the ability to land US Marines on islands in the Philippines, Palau, Taiwan, Yaeyama Japan, Inchon or anywhere else that might prove necessary.

So, are we now "overextended"?
That depends 100% on the nature and intentions of our potential enemies, most notably today, China.
And a case can be made, based on sheer numbers, that things are starting to get a little... ah... uncomfortable, vis-a-vis China.

However, that is only if we compare our worst against their best, and even then, only if we ignore our own allies & friends.
When we add to our numbers those of friendly Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand and India, then CCP China's sheer numbers don't look all that impressive after all.

AndyJackson: "...and we are so overextneded at the bank that the cost of rebalancing our forces will only be within our capability if the world will allows us to print even more money - at their expense - to pay for it."

There is no doubt the US financial condition is serious, and needs to be seriously addressed both short term and long term.
However, things are neither desperate nor irreversible, yet.
If we begin taking effective actions next year, our economy and our dollar will be just fine.

One reason is because, in economics like most other things, we don't have to be perfect, we only have to be better than our potential enemies, and so far, we still are, regardless of what our Russkiy Mirovichs here might claim.