Events could move swiftly the wrong way in the Middle East---though I do not explicitly mention it in the article, losses there and in U.S. standing could have negative ripple effects closer to home in Venezuela, Argentina, and Cuba; in Europe; and across Africa and Asia.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/20/charles-ortel-are-vladimir-putin-xi-jinping-about-/