> But propaganda cuts both ways You are absolutely correct. But wouldn't the U.S. behave badly, people in Venezuela would perhaps have little reason to vote fo

> But propaganda cuts both ways You are absolutely correct. But wouldn't the U.S. behave badly, people in Venezuela would perhaps have little reason to vote for soft totalitarians like Chavez. (I also think Hitler rose to power partly because he was one of the few politicians who were willing to call BS on the Germany's WW1 debt.) I am not actually sure this will 100% prevents rise of authoritarians (given what is going on in Hungary), however, there is some difference in ideology, and also success, if you compare Marshall doctrine to Washington consensus. Nations get a free pass on behaving badly abroad because of nationalism. Then they get more that they bargained for. Actually, when I think of it, this dynamic is not just between states, it also happens in different social classes as well (for example, policy of being tough on unemployed or drug users, which ultimately makes things worse).