https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/debating-defence-budgets-why-...
The answer that the video proposes is quite naive in that diplomacy is the method by which we should attempt to solve problems, diplomacy alone is not enough. This is like taking the naive viewpoint that simply passing a law to say that stealing is wrong is enough to stop all theft. We know how ignorant that statement sounds. The law itself is nothing without the power of enforcement and punishment behind it. The same goes for diplomacy you only need to take a look at the last hundred years of History for international diplomacy and you can see how that has panned out when there is literally no power of enforcement behind it. It would be great if the sole power of enforcement could simply be oversights but a brief look at history shows that that again is not enough.
Why does the US spend so much on its military? The United States is one of the few countries that has not used its military power to expand its territorial empire. Some people may take a disagreement with that, as there are a few examples of territories that the United States has claimed ownership of, but those are the rare examples. Most/all of those territories that the United States currently holds would like to become states instead of being independent nations. In world war II especially in the Pacific theater the United States didn't take ownership of the lands that they conquered even though it was in the mindset of most of the conquered peoples and most of the countries that were liberated to expect the United States to take over. They did for a limited time but it was not permanent and it was never intended to be permanent.
The United States wields its massive military power in a way that is different from every other country in the history of the world and that includes some of the strongest allies like Great Britain have done. So we get down to why does the United States spend so much money on its military? Because it is the only country that is proved to use overwhelming might in a mostly responsible manner to quell issues around the world before they become massive problems. We managed to do that without attempting to completely subjugate the populace of other countries. Again you can find exceptions and you can find people that are upset with the interference but taking a holistic view of History the balance has been more toward the good than the bad. The evil is perpetrated by the British empire around the world were far greater than anything the United States has done. The British empire and never operated with the idea of liberating countries.
So the follow-up question should be if the United States didn't do this job who would do it and what the world be better off or worse?
