The U.S. could and did build a powerful alliance system, because America was more than a nation: It was an idea and a set of values, values we shared with the rest of the democratic world

No, the US was able to build a powerful alliance system because after WWII there was no one else standing (even the USSR was extremely bruised) and we were the world’s manufacturer. I mean, I guess there were some shared values with Europe too, namely white supremacy and continued domination of the global south.

I swear to god, liberals just say shit about “values” and “democracy” without even a moment of further reflection.