3 ms·

> You nuke the Eurozone, and suddenly German goods become massively more expensive for hundreds of millions of people, which will tank their income. Yeah, but

by xyzzyz 4y ago

> You nuke the Eurozone, and suddenly German goods become massively more expensive for hundreds of millions of people, which will tank their income. Yeah, but the imports then also become massively cheaper, so it might even out: Germany will just start importing more stuff e.g. from Poland instead of producing it locally.

rcMgD2BwE72F 4y ago
>Germany will just start importing more stuff e.g. from Poland instead of producing it locally And this way, they lose their main advantage: a strong economy that focuses on export. They can't have their cake and eat it too. Especially when their auto industry is set to lose greatly with the EV transition (which they still try to slow down).
- xyzzyz 4y ago
  No, they would export some stuff and import other stuff. It would all balance out. In the end, it must: what’s the point of exporting things, if you don’t get other things in return? Exporting is not a charity, you must import things in order for exports to make sense.
  - toyg 4y ago
    > what’s the point of exporting things, if you don’t get other things in return? This take is utterly naive. What you "get in return" from being a massive exporter is not all quantifiable. It's soft power, influence, prestige. When everyone uses your machinery, you control the standards and their evolution, you control the market. Plus, even going back to purely economic terms, you can absolutely export and then keep the accumulated money sitting in coffers, financializing the gains (lower borrowing costs etc etc), or invest in local research to extend your advantage, and so on and so forth. None of these options require importing anything.
toyg 4y ago
"Evening out" would weaken and impoverish Germany, compared to its position now. I mean, we can do it, but I guess that's not what the German public really wants.

3 ms·

> You nuke the Eurozone, and suddenly German goods become massively more expensive for hundreds of millions of people, which will tank their income. Yeah, but

by xyzzyz 4y ago

rcMgD2BwE72F 4y ago
>Germany will just start importing more stuff e.g. from Poland instead of producing it locally And this way, they lose their main advantage: a strong economy that focuses on export. They can't have their cake and eat it too. Especially when their auto industry is set to lose greatly with the EV transition (which they still try to slow down).
- xyzzyz 4y ago
  No, they would export some stuff and import other stuff. It would all balance out. In the end, it must: what’s the point of exporting things, if you don’t get other things in return? Exporting is not a charity, you must import things in order for exports to make sense.
  - toyg 4y ago
    > what’s the point of exporting things, if you don’t get other things in return? This take is utterly naive. What you "get in return" from being a massive exporter is not all quantifiable. It's soft power, influence, prestige. When everyone uses your machinery, you control the standards and their evolution, you control the market. Plus, even going back to purely economic terms, you can absolutely export and then keep the accumulated money sitting in coffers, financializing the gains (lower borrowing costs etc etc), or invest in local research to extend your advantage, and so on and so forth. None of these options require importing anything.
toyg 4y ago
"Evening out" would weaken and impoverish Germany, compared to its position now. I mean, we can do it, but I guess that's not what the German public really wants.