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> Because any nation that isn't on your side is corrupt, right? Do you have experience living in countries where you need to bribe everyone everywhere to get a

• markdown 7y ago
  > Do you have experience living in countries where you need to bribe everyone everywhere to get anything done? Yup, two years in India over a decade ago when it was much worse than it is now. At the end of the day, a country will ally with or back the country from which they can extract the maximum benefit. Game theory applies. Many Pacific Island countries (many of the tiny countries you allude to) have benefited greatly from switching allegiance to China. In contrast, the US has much bigger fish to fry (billions in aid to Israel supposedly for mid-east stability) and paid these tiny nations no attention whatsoever over the past few decades. > Do you have experience living in countries where you need to bribe everyone everywhere to get anything done? I doubt you're speaking from any sort of authority when you say these decisions are not made via shady backroom deals. Do you mean like the US, where unlike anywhere else in the world, bribery (cunningly called lobbying) is both completely legal and publicly accepted?