As they decline it starts with the ordinary people getting hooked on fent, then you have the elite getting hooked on copium. It's no surprise Peter Zeihan rose to prominence recently.I don't know about no-cost , I imagine some countries are keeping a running tab and accumulating interest....
A economic / security block encompassing EurAsia poses the nightmare scenario for the US. Kinda funny for the guy bragging about smashing these countries... maybe they will have more common reasons to work together in the future. We have already seen partially happening with SCO and BRICS.
Trump of all people was the only one to diagnose the problem. He just doesn't have the right solution.
College enrollment, literacy, life expectancy: down
Inflation, crime, COVID, debt: up