US needs to show it's still top dog

Once upon a time the job of president of the United States seemed clear-cut: you knew who the enemy was, and you knew you had the economic and military measure of them. 





You were seen as the most powerful man in the world. 

That isn't necessarily the case any more. 

True, no other political leader has the reach or resources of Barack Obama. 

Compared with him, China's Xi Jinping looks like a decidedly local political chieftain with a big chequebook, but with nothing very serious in the way of firepower. 

Russia's Vladimir Putin appears almost bankrupt. The naval ships he took to the G20 summit in Brisbane in order to flex his famous muscles were so old-fashioned they made people laugh. 

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