Then we’re back to “spheres of influence”.

It's a shame about USAid. It bought us a lot of influence and goodwill. Now it's dead. Meanwhile, China has their Belt and Road initiative, which is buying them influence and goodwill.

The sphere is the entire planet. We are so interconnected, communication is instantaneous, and troops can move very quickly, that it isn't just regional anymore. If we help some African nation, we also make Chinese investment in that same nation less attractive to them. We gain influence, China doesn't. It's no longer enough to think Monroe Doctrine ("Americas for the Americans"). Too myopic. We need to be thinking about Africa, and the Philippines, and Japan, and India, etc, etc.

As I recall, we blew it and the Chinese now have a foothold in Africa (Djibouti). Which gains them influence in the Indian Ocean, and the Horn, and the Red Sea. Ooops.

We would do better trying to win the Venezuelans over so they will accept our help, instead of bullying them and they turn to China. We need to keep China out of the Caribbean / Gulf of Mexico (NOT Gulf of America). If Venezuela allows a Chinese base that close to our territorial waters, that would be bad. And we're giving them no reason not to.