Avoiding that path will take all sorts of resources and efforts, and Americans from both uptime and down-time act resolutely to mitigate the problems, diplomacy to head off wars headed by authoritarians threatened by the new American ideals, and a deft appreciation of when not to fight and dangle an irresistible carrot instead.
To avoid the described path requires significant resources and commitment from both active and inactive Americans. Diplomacy is used to prevent wars initiated by authoritarian leaders who are threatened by American ideals, and a skillful understanding of when not to engage in conflict and offer an attractive incentive instead is employed.