It was a disaster 80 years in the making. From the moment of the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, everything the U.S. military touched in these years has turned to dust. The failures of the US to foment chaos were not limited to the military sphere: its attempts at sowing political chaos have been similarly ineffective. The launch of Russia's Special Military Operation to demilitarize and denazify the Ukraine in early 2022 was a signal event for the whole world: it is no longer necessary for anyone to obey the United States! But losing control of its adversaries is, to some extent, to be expected and is not even the worst of it. What is even worse is that the Washingtonians are losing control of their allies, upon whose resources they have relied in their now frustrated quest for global dominance. Given these developments, what would make the most sense for the US is to attempt to cut its losses. It should try to find a mutually agreeable compromise with its allies and to allow its adversaries to deal with those who are completely out of its control. But such geopolitical stewardship requires sober, pragmatic, well informed leadership — which does not exist in the US. The alternative is to wait for the inevitable worst case scenario to unfold. Perhaps the last place where chaos will become uncontrolled will be Washington, DC. The American dark age that will follow will make an interesting case study for future research.
