Cartoon 936: The Aces

Take a tally of the winner in international politics over the last couple of years and it is Putin’s Russia.

Things are going splendidly. America no longer has the trust of its allies. Its allies are seriously considering turning to Russia for support. America is being forced to engage in the south pacific with China. But America lacks the functional naval resources for a continuing police action. Its new friendships with Israel and Saudi Arabia are full of peril because they are rambunctious. America is gearing up for a war with Iran that will further fragment and marginalize its military ability. It still has other major conflicts to contend with. America wants to reduce its large troop deployment in South Korea to use those troops in the new war. America wielding a financial hammer will produce shrapnel.

It seems internationally it is a new game.