Military Takeover

The US has 732 military bases abroad. There are really only two countries that can claim to challenge the United States: Russia and China. The Russians still have a military presence in some countries around its periphery and the Chinese have zero bases outside their home territory. Russia still has a decent navy while China has ambitions to develop one. Neither can really challenge the US by directly invading its territory. All other countries really don't pose a direct military threat to the United States. For all our weaknesses--the draining of wealth, power and prestige on imperial projects in Asia, along with the perception that we're in decline economically, socially, and even morally, America is still the biggest player on the block. We haven't been invaded directly by an outside power since the War of 1812, and I think it might be another 200 years before we see another invasion. But our power is being challenged abroad more often than not these days in direct and ind... Read more

As somebody who spent a day or two in camo, I wouldn't bet on this. We're not likely to follow the kinds of orders needed to enforce military rule.

If I were there as a US president, I would take it as a civilian governor, and launch a major military offensive attack on Australia, China, and India. And make Germany my ally, while build peace with Russia. Denmark can my strong ally whenever I call. Short and brief. Sincerely speaking.

Unlikely to occur. However, if it did........... THAT WOULD BE SOOOOOOOME BAD NEWSSSSSSS!!! PETER CALLING FROM STALINGRAD............ SOS!!! SOS!!! GODDAMN IT THEY CAUGHT ME!!!!!

According to Chalmers Johnson (author of the "Blowback" trilogy, which should be recommended reading for those of you who read), Cullen Murphy ("Are We Rome?") and others whose opinions I respect, this is not only "possible" but likely. All it would take would be a few "executive orders," a catastrophe real or invented, and the Constitution would be tossed aside like the Articles of Confederation were.

Unlikely, since the credo "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave" would have to change to "Land of the Prisoner and the Home of the Stratocractic.”

The problem with end of the world, destruction of the country scenarios is that if one works hard enough, one can come up with a chain of events that MIGHT have a result that COULD destroy the country by THIS (or almost any other method). I'm not going to suggest that this is impossible, since the evidence of human history is full of examples, but it seems less likely than many others on this list.