They don’t realize how far, relative to other countries, the US has fallen. They still think that the US is the big kahuna, but it’s no longer. It might have been, if the politicians hadn’t run up the debt. But the debt is going to constrict the US in anything it does.
The job should be to constrict Russia, without a war. That was possible before Russia invaded Ukraine, because Russia indicated a willingness to talk about its objectives and how to accomodate its concerns.
With China, it’s at risk of running into a similar end as the Soviet Union, because the CCP don’t have the backing of the people as it once did. At least as I understand it. It’s gambling on winning before that point and it’s using subterfuge to try and bring down the US.
“It might have been”
“might” is the operative word. I’m not all that sure that we were EVER king-of-hill as the America-haters (Zeepers) seem to claim. After all, as the America-haters knew, FULL WELL, that the nuclear weapons of the Soviet Union NEVER went away with their fall of the country (in ~1990) and that the US NEVER had the capability to intercept or otherwise destroy these weapons (and still does not). So, at best, it ended as a draw. But Europe did benefit as they were no longer on the front lines...but then Europe, I guess, likes getting into horrific wars, so they tossed that away also.
As far as ‘constricting Russia’ - Russia certainly did tolerate a boatload, starting with enlargement of NATO (in exchange for being somewhat accepted by Europe), but even Gorby had said that Ukraine was a red line...and now the America-haters have found that, once again, Russia WAS NOT lying.
China is a tricky one, and it’s next to impossible to understand the public mood there. I do know up until about 5 years ago, the Chinese were satisfied with the informal ‘deal’ made by their government, which was no political freedom in exchange for outstanding economic growth. Now it’s worse there, economic growth, while strong, is far less than the past, while lack of political freedom has degraded into political oppression (almost as bad as what the America-haters are putting Trump through). Whether are not that means the end to China’s Communist government is very debatable, as it is normally VERY DIFFICULT to throw off Communists...so we’ll see.