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That was the real start, for sure, but Reagan took the pressure of every type, except silly things like the grain embargo, to 11. For instance ... actually, I
by hga 11y ago
That was the real start, for sure, but Reagan took the pressure of every type, except silly things like the grain embargo, to 11. For instance ... actually, I can see moralist Carter saying something like this after he saw the light, but still:
Yes, let us pray for the salvation of all of those who live in that totalitarian darkness—pray they will discover the joy of knowing God. But until they do, let us be aware that while they preach the supremacy of the State, declare its omnipotence over individual man, and predict its eventual domination of all peoples on the earth, they are the focus of evil in the modern world.... So, in your discussions of the nuclear freeze proposals, I urge you to beware the temptation of pride—the temptation of blithely..uh..declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.
That was in 1983: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_empire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_empire
- GunboatDiplomat 11y agoWell, why should the US sell grain to nations whose established goal is to end our way of life? "We will hang the capitalists with the rope that they sell us." So let's not sell them rope. Or grain, in this case.
- hga 11y agoBecause that's a weapon to only use in a hot war? Because it's a fungible commodity in plentiful world supply, and we're better off benefiting from that trade ourselves? Because it most directly puts the lie to their claims their economic system is superior? "If it's so good, why can't you grow enough food for yourselves but have to buy it from us?"
- GunboatDiplomat 11y agoWhy is it only a weapon to use in a hot war? We don't trade with North Korea, sanction Russia, and sanction many other countries. Why shouldn't we have refused to sell the Soviets grain? That's possibly true. That they need to by grain puts lie to it, the US selling grain to them was merely secondary.
- hga 11y agoWe don't trade with North Korea We're actually still formally at war with the DPRK, something they remind us and most especially our ROK allies of all too often. The rest are sanctions that stop short of using food as a weapon.