Unlike wars where a nation is attacked first (e.g., Pearl Harbor), "wars of choice" lack the sustained public support needed for a long conflict. The aggressor has a political weak point, which adversaries exploit to win a war of attrition, not battlefield victories.

While external threats like China are real, Palantir's CTO argues America's biggest risk is internal: a loss of will, nihilism, and polarization. The failure of institutions to function effectively erodes legitimacy and national spirit, a more fundamental vulnerability than any foreign adversary.

When a political movement is out of power, it's easy to unify against a common opponent. Once they gain power and become the establishment, internal disagreements surface, leading to factions and infighting as they debate the group's future direction.

The lack of a unified national narrative creates profound societal division. America is fractured by two irreconcilable stories: one of colonialist oppression and another of unprecedented prosperity, making a shared identity and collective action impossible.

Rather than seeking military conquest, Russia's primary strategy against the US is to foster extreme political polarization. The goal is to push opposing domestic factions into a civil war, causing the American empire to collapse from within.

The US is fractured by internal division and a loss of faith in its own ideals. This lack of a unified national will is a critical vulnerability, especially when competing with a highly motivated and self-confident China. The internal conflict prevents the country from generating the forward momentum needed to face external threats.

Internally divided societies rarely come together on their own. Unity is almost exclusively forged when a common external, existential threat emerges. This was seen after 9/11 and during the Cold War, where the fear of an outside enemy overshadowed internal political disagreements, forcing cooperation.

History shows populations often unify against an external physical threat, like the British during the Blitz. However, economic hardship creates internal division and is far more likely to lead to social collapse, as seen in 1970s Britain or post-bubble Japan.

An obsessive focus on internal political battles creates a critical geopolitical vulnerability. While a nation tears itself apart with divisive rhetoric, strategic adversaries like China benefit from the distraction and internal weakening. This domestic infighting accelerates the erosion of the nation's global influence and power.