Too true Indi, this is you at your best. Thanks for writing it. I think the only way to turn this round is for the US and Europe to dramatically change tack, by doing what we uniquely can do, as "Democracies", whilst we still have the chance, empower our populations with domestic and community based solar hydrogen as I've been writing about for years like a broken record, this would give us massive economic power again, truly massive. Further, it would give us real energy independence, and something you probably don't agree with; Energy is everything. With abundant energy there is shortage of nothing.
No energy shortage = no food shortage, no water shortage, and no money shortage.
I've explained how to do it, even the military complex could be redirected by identifying a boogey man from outer space, and encouraging the militaries of China, Russia, and all the rest to refocus on preparing for a conflict from there, uniting the world.
I know sounds too fantastic to be true, but nobody so far has seriously undone the Systems Engineering analysis showing this to be the case, not even ChatGPT, which I honestly would say is a much better Systems Engineer than I am, it concedes this is the solution, the only solution, which meets the concerns of all stakeholders, though there are many that don't actually know what their concerns are, all is revealed by the Systems Engineering.