What would happen if the U.S. tried to forcibly annex another country?

There would be a gigantic stink in the United Nations, and the Security Council would instantly bring up a resolution condemning the action. The United States would veto it over an otherwise unanimous vote for it, which would look terrible. The diplomatic work of decades would be undone. Countries would break off diplomatic relations and throw our embassies out of their capitals, which would cut off our access to intelligence -- spies always work out of embassies. Countries proposing to buy major military hardware from the USA would cancel those contracts and buy it from Sweden, Germany, France, or the UK instead, causing serious hardship in the USA. Various sorts of international cooperation that the US counts on would end. Saudi Arabia might start selling oil for euros instead of dollars, thereby sharply devaluing the dollar on world markets and making it very expensive for American businesses to import goods made in China, for example. This would be reflected in much higher retail prices in America for foreign made goods like clothes, cars, and electronics.

Diplomatically and economically, we would be shooting ourselves in the foot for no real gain.

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Ernest W. Adams on Quora:

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