On the other hand: The US can't even build a single proper high-speed rail line, hasn't figured out how to electrify its railways, doesn't understand that bike lanes are good for car people, hasn't managed to solve four-way intersections yet, doesn't have anything even remotely resembling a free market for critical supplies like power and internet, and is in general going bankrupt due to excessive urban sprawl.

I could probably go on for another ten pages. Europe definitely has its flaws, but let's not pretend like the US is a paradise where everything is perfect and nothing ever went wrong.

California and Nevada's inability to make progress on HSR is inexcusable, as is New England s', but does Florida's Brightline not exist or something?

Thats funny, most of the places that I've visited in Europe don't have any of that stuff either. It's a big place with a lot of diversity in infrastructure and economic development.

Have you been to Europe?

The comparison is stark.

I wish my country had achieved half as much in terms of infrastructure.

And in terms of protecting themselves, if the US stopped protecting Russia, the situation there would be a lot tidier.

Yes, I've been there many times. It's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

Then we can both agree that it’s surprising what people like and value.

No, I don't agree. I am not even slightly surprised.

Sounds like your only metric is military strength? Then sure, the US dominates, though it pays a lot for that privilege.

There are a lot of metrics, take your pick. But if you can't obtain reliable supplies of energy and other critical resources then none of the other metrics matter.

Oh, like the 2021 Texas power crisis? Or the ongoing water shortages in the western part of the US?

US just showed the world its military strength.

It couldn’t open the straits and begged for help from is ‘weak’ ‘allies’.

Europe wouldn’t have been all that impressed.