The Suez Canal Crisis, a lesson in how empires die:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Crisis
Shortly after the invasion began, the three countries came under heavy political pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as from the United Nations, eventually prompting their withdrawal from Egypt.
The crisis demonstrated that the United Kingdom and France could no longer pursue their independent foreign policy without consent from the United States.
...
The crisis strengthened Nasser's standing and led to international humiliation for the British—with historians arguing that it signified the end of its role as a superpower—as well as the French amid the Cold War.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22] As a result of the conflict, the UN established an emergency force to police and patrol the Egypt–Israel border. For his diplomatic efforts in resolving the conflict through UN initiatives, Canadian external affairs minister Lester B. Pearson received a Nobel Peace Prize.
Analysts have argued that the crisis may have emboldened the USSR, prompting the Soviet invasion of Hungary.[23][24]
Militarily, France and Britain were successful. Politically, they failed for multiple reasons. They secretly planned with Israel to follow them to war if Israel made the first strike (Protocol of Sèvres). They appeared as the aggressors seen as trying to reassert colonial rule over Egypt. They succumbed to pressure from pre-eminent super powers (the US, USSR) indicating they were no longer global leaders.
The important lesson to be learned in all of this is it oftentimes doesn't take much to tip an empire into steep decline. The Soviet Union's collapse is another such example. Once the veil of supremacy is yanked off and a an empire's leadership comes under intense scrutiny, the fall is often quite quick.
Is the US approaching its moment?
. Think of the thousands of planes built for WW2.
When did Ann Coulter become a Faux Noise-hating, DonOld-mocking leftwing liberal?
An AWACS, "several refueling planes" and "more than 10" injured GIs is a VERY effective attack. Think how bad it might have been if the war wasn't "over on day one". 
