This ball was set in motion long ago when we decided it was appropriate to trade our money with these nations for their oil. If we ever wanted to see that mone

This ball was set in motion long ago when we decided it was appropriate to trade our money with these nations for their oil. If we ever wanted to see that money again, we were going to be doing business with them in the future. It's not as if we were ignorant of their dismal records on human rights and lack of democracy. We've been throwing money at oil-rich nations for a very long time, and now they have leverage in terms of buying power. What do we have to offer in return? They can buy our startups, our land, and our weapons.