@paulk @randahl I think it's already happening - US' Achilles heel is its enormous debt that has so far not been a problem for the US because other countries were eager to lap up bonds issued by a country they saw as a stable investment, but countries have begun ridding themselves of their US bonds, China, India and Mexico leading the pack.

As bond buyers become fewer and money becomes tight, I suspect the US will be forced to confront the consequences of its adventures (kidnapping heads of state, threatening to annex land) in the rest of the world.