Agreed with the last part; the only country we can really rely on in NATO anymore IMO is Poland, and I suppose any countries in their sphere more than Germany's. Even then I don't know if I'd expect much help out of them though, because they have their own problems in the form of both Russia and the EU. Russia might get opportunistic if China starts going hot with us (while we're distracted), and I wouldn't be surprised if Western Europe just let them have anything they wanted.
I do agree. China is cornered. They've fallen for the same trap all dictators within recent times make - Corrupt the government to seize power, and use that now horribly corrupt and inefficient government to try and maintain power whilst hemorrhaging control. Perform mass spending and buildups to stimulate the economy, creating a bubble. Continue mass spending and buildup (by utilizing the military machine that that spending usually goes towards to seize other nations) until you either get defeated, or there is nothing left to conquer, at which point it's only a matter of time before the bubble pops and everything explodes. That was WWII Germany, the USSR, Saddam (pre-Gulf War), and many, many others.
Agreed with the last part; the only country we can really rely on in NATO anymore IMO is Poland, and I suppose any countries in their sphere more than Germany's. Even then I don't know if I'd expect much help out of them though, because they have their own problems in the form of both Russia and the EU. Russia might get opportunistic if China starts going hot with us (while we're distracted), and I wouldn't be surprised if Western Europe just let them have anything they wanted.
I do agree. China is cornered. They've fallen for the same trap all dictators within recent times make - Corrupt the government to seize power, and use that now horribly corrupt and inefficient government to try and maintain power whilst hemorrhaging control. Perform mass spending and buildups to stimulate the economy, creating a bubble. Continue mass spending and buildup (by utilizing the military machine that that spending usually goes towards to seize other nations) until you either get defeated, or there is nothing left to conquer, at which point it's only a matter of time before the bubble pops and everything explodes. That was WWII Germany, the USSR, Saddam (pre-Gulf War), and many, many others.