Dear AirProfit,
your thinking is so far back in the 1950's to be believed. The US thought they carried the 'big stick' that you refer to in 1945, the 6th of August to be precise (look it up for a bit of retrospective mass-debating).
You will find that all of the countries you refer to now(we are after all in 2010, 65 years later) also wield the 'big stick'. In fact if memory serves me correct in the 'big stick' political pissing contest the Russians actually detonated the 'biggest stick' 3x bigger than anything that the Good Old US of A has done....
Wishing You the Best of Health - and remember "Duck and Cover" is what the US Gov told you to do in the 1950's and you'll survive anything.
Yee ha! (Strains of the stars and stripes in the background, cheering crowds, jet fly-past, flag waving, etc, etc)
Best Regards,
N1 Vibes