Since the US was the world's military superpower *before* the Cold War
ended, it would have had to unilaterally disarm after the Cold War to change
that status.
The US is still a military superpower because of a number of reasons:
1.Unilateral disarmament and appeasement have not appealed to most Americans
(outside the inner circle of the Democratic Party) and were largely
discredited in the 1940s. While military spending *was* dramatically reduced
in the 1990s, not even the feckless Clinton Administration seriously
considered complete disarmament.
2. Most of Europe *did* unilaterally disarm after the collapse of the Soviet
Union -- not that most of them carried their share of the defense burden
before the Soviet Union collapsed. Thus the US became comparatively stronger
than its only plausible military rival. Sadly for the Euros, the money saved
from their disarmament was thrown down the rathole of economically useless
social spending.
3. The third world is (and has been) militarily ineffective compared with
the West. Since most Post Cold War military actions take place in the third
world, the US military advantage is exaggerated.
4. Geography bestows on the US the advantages of being a large continental
power (ala Germany, Napoleonic France) *and* being an island power (ala
Great Britain). As a result, American military is structured for power
projection.
5. The US has a freer economy than any major industrialized power. This
allows it to spend a comparatively small percentage of its GNP yet fund a
very capable military.
6. Saddam Hussein's ill-conceived invasion of Kuwait reminded everyone that
the end of the Soviet Union did not automatically eliminate the need for
military power. Coming so soon after the effective collapse of the USSR (the
nominal collapse occurred a year later), this prevented the ridiculous
notion of unilateral disarmament from getting any traction.
--Ty
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