The EU will shore up its relations with China (in fact they've already started) and no allies will ever trust us again.
It will take a long time for us to ever again be a credible superpower to balance China.
1. The EU is already doing that but it has nothing to do with us. It's just like they don't do the 2% of GNP towards defense. Western Europe has turned into a bunch of Chamberlains. It's cheaper in the short run to appease than it is to have a strong military.
2. We can balance China for the next twenty years. After that, all bets are off. We've built their economy, which gives them the money to build up their military. They won't be able to project power for at least 20 years, while we can.
3. We need to look more towards Japan and India. They know what a menace China is and are preparing for it. I'll add the Aussies into that group.
4. Russia lost too much population to be anything more than a regional power with the breakup of the USSR. If Europe can't handle them, that's their problem.
