the U.S. and its potential rivals

One more point on this topic before I sign off for the day -- in
geostrategic terms the U.S. has taken over Britain's role as the
maritime power, engaging in offshore balancing against potential land
powers that might dominate all of Eurasia.

In this framework, Russia remains closest to the "heart" of potential
Heartland powers, but Germany and China could also play this role.

The EU and Japan are Rimland powers, and the successful U.S. strategy has
been to dominate the Rimlands (via alliances), and thus the Heartland.

A great advantage for the U.S. is the fact that, in realist/geostrategic
terms, Germany/EU will tend to balance against Russia and Japan will tend
to balance against China (and thus, EU/Russia or Japan/China alliances are
nearly impossible to imagine).

But this leads to a strategic dilemma for the U.S. -- maintain the huge
military necessary to keep Germany/NATO/EU subordinated, along with Japan,
and risk imperial overstretch?  Or let the Rimlands carry out their own
natural balancing against the Heartland powers, but become more autonomous
vis a vis the U.S., and develop their own military capacity, only to
become potential rivals?

RH