eli5 If the U.S. is in so much debt, how do they remain one of the most powerful & influential countries in the world?

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I feel like the United States is always meddling in other countries affairs and yet still climbing further into debt. Kind of like someone giving you advice on a golf course who is terrible themself. Is it the military presence? Economic relationships?

In: Economics

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Anonymous 0 Comments

The debt is in their own currency, so they don’t need to earn it from others to pay back the debt. They can merely print it at will. The other part is that they still have the most powerful military in the world, so any economic disagreement with other countries can be settled by war. And lastly, they still control most of the world’s most powerful institutions, with a seat in G7, a veto in UN, a vote in WHO. They control the World Bank, IMF, etc.

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