Exactly. You need to be either neutral or favorable towards the superpower. If you are not, and you seek national interests at the expense of Washington's interests (e.g. nationalizing resources, competing with the USD), you will get wrecked.
So we agree? Most nations have stayed neutral or sided against Russia. The only nations that side with Russia are Syria, Eritrea, North Korea, and Belarus. None of them have either the economy or military to do even the small amount except for Belarus. And Lukashenko knows sending his troops to Ukraine makes him vulnerable to his citizens and Russia at the same time. His military is the only thing stopping the people or Putin from kicking him out.
