So the US is the largest country because it spends most on national defense/offense? That’s an idiosyncratic way of thinking about world affairs, especially when the US has just lost a war to a fifth rate power, but you do you.
There are discontinuities. In the US, the 14th amendment is one of them.
But we are discussing nations here, not countries. That means popular understanding, which entails simplification typically along lines convenient to the present. AKA myths. US historical memory only extends somewhat beyond 1776. More importantly, colonial history is very much understood as before the US.
Western Civilization traces itself back to Socrates, maybe Moses, maybe the builders of the pyramids. This is almost nonsensical geographically. But we’re not discussing geography and the history is highly selective and acausal. These are stories that people in existing countries tell themselves. So the Brits trace themselves to King Arthur and the US traces itself to George Washington.
Bigots are trying to overturn the American story, in favor of more ancient and feral tribal ones. In an international context, John McCain sketched a superior way of thinking:
From the ashes of the most awful calamity in human history was born what we call the West — a new and different and better kind of world order, one based not on blood-and-soil nationalism, or spheres of influence, or conquest of the weak by the strong, but rather on universal values, rule of law, open commerce, and respect for national sovereignty and independence. Indeed, the entire idea of the West is that it is open to any person or any nation that honors and upholds these values.
The one advantage we have in the fight against fascism is fascism’s utter incompetence in delivering growth and opportunity.
I believe the current conservative movement in the US, as exemplified by the Trump regime, is built on two pillars: grift and racism.
Look into the history between Amway and the Heritage Foundation. To refresh your memory, Amway is a pyramid scheme multi-level marketing company, whose founders got rich and started the Heritage Foundation, who are the authors of Project 2025, which is being used as a guide for converting democracy into kleptocracy under the guise of suppressing people of the wrong ancestry.
The corruption and grift are not a side effect, it was the plan all along.
I do think that there’s probably an embedded lag in the US data. To be fair, the score has declined from a high of 76 to 64 last year. But I still expect the US to remain above China, India, and Nigeria since the rot is mostly confined to the top and foreign investors can usually (not always) fly below the radar and avoid paying bribes to Trump unless they want to.
A further drop by 10 points in either the score or the world ranking would not surprise me. A 40 point decline would.
