my mum is getting ready for the fact that her emigration may be permanent soon (i.e she will be too elderly and it will be too unsafe for her to share her time between family in England and Malaysia)

Exactly. the Americans are trying the same empire building the British did a few hundred years ago.

Now it is possible that this actually may not happen or not to the extent they wish as the sheer cost of it could provoke economic meltdown in the USA!

But thats still not really a “bright side” as the anger unleashed within America could lead to as many civillian deaths in that part of the world

Some progressive Americans whose blogs I read and whom I occasionally correspond with feel that the Southern USA (sterotypical redneck place) will erupt as people would rather die and/or one another than form any sort of “socialist” community, and they have the firearms and explosives readily available to “defend the American Way to the last”.

I also read on some healthcare training site that the FBI themselves admit at least one improvised explosive device goes off every day in the USA and thats just from people sorting out their private disputes (in other words fuck all to do with foreign terrorism)

(well thats one country definitely off most peoples travel lists!)