“We never take on the big boys like China who have a terrible human rights record because we know we'd get our butts kicked... funny that
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All depend's what context you want to look at it, why do you think we had control of HongKong for so long? The Opium Wars and Treaty of Nanking and all that good stuff.
We've had our moments over the years, some good and a lot bad.

We've locked horns with just about everybody, from Russia, France and even ourselves! Maybe we are naturally tribal? Must be all that Viking blood that got poured into our mix all those years ago.
With Colonial power long consigned to history, the reality is we are a tiny nation, with few remaining natural resources, and subject to the same economic conditions as the rest of the world.
But we still think of ourselves as a global policeman, even when it's obvious we can't afford it. Maybe it's time to hang up the gloves, and let the emerging economies like India and Asia take over?