As long as the United States works unilaterally to quell violent conflict, progress is not being made towards a better, internationally coordinated system.  The United States spends approximately $700 trillion annually on its military; China, the world’s second largest military spender, spends $114 trillion. [1] The US outpaces other possible peacekeepers by such a large gap that these other powers have little incentive to even try to keep up. Unilateral US intervention undermines international actors such as UN troops because it communicates the US’s refusal to submit to the interests of the international community. Thus US military intervention becomes a “quick fix” which prevents genuine long-term stability  [1] “SIPRI Military Expenditure Database,” Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 2011.