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How would conquest benefit the PRC, other than vague symbolism of "uniting the country" and depriving the U.S. of a potential base? Yes, there's power in the ra
by Apocryphon 4y ago
How would conquest benefit the PRC, other than vague symbolism of "uniting the country" and depriving the U.S. of a potential base? Yes, there's power in the rally-round-the-flag effect, but that only goes so far from distracting citizens of the matters of survival.
Also, the world is exponentially more economically interdependent than it was a century ago. Was the trade between the Central Powers and the Entente really comparable to that between the PRC and the rest of the world today? Or even between modern Russia's trade with the world and China's trade with the world? I suspect these are all different cases that need to be examined in full, not brushed away with rhetorical flourishes.
An immense amount of consumer electronics are manufactured in China. But also, most of China's energy is imported by sea. Don't think their Belt and Road projects have managed to substitute those naval routes yet. So in the case of war, both China and its trading partners are at the risk of slitting each others' throats in a jiffy. Is that comparable to Russia, an energy exporter?
- arroz 4y agoHonestly none of this really matters, the only thing that matters is what people in power decide is worth it The almost dictator of Brazil, Bolsonaro, brags that his biggest achievement when in power was to bring the colors of the flag back to people’s lives Like, wtf, how is this important?
- Apocryphon 4y agoAnd how did things work out for Bolsonaro?
- SllX 4y agoLast I heard he was eating a sandwich in Florida not that far from Mar-a-Lago.
- arroz 4y agoHe almost won re-election and got crazy people to destroy Brazil’s capital city on Jan 8th 2023 But that’s not the point, the point is people in power will do whatever they want and have their reasoning for it
- Apocryphon 4y agoActually, he's exploring the metaverse now. https://twitter.com/AssLatam/status/1615321859066560514 https://twitter.com/AssLatam/status/1615321859066560514
- anigbrowl 4y agoToo early to know; ask in 3-5 years.
- wahern 4y ago> How would conquest benefit the PRC, other than vague symbolism of "uniting the country" and depriving the U.S. of a potential base? Yes, there's power in the rally-round-the-flag effect, but that only goes so far from distracting citizens of the matters of survival. Ask Putin. Symbolism might seem weak sauce, unless you're a totalitarian state whose choices are more symbolism (aka distraction) or collapse, because Door #3, liberalizing reform, is not a permissible option.
- Apocryphon 4y agoPutin's economic analysis is different from Xi's. Russia is far less reliant on energy or food imports. Not to mention, not as many gains in recent decades to risk losing, as China does. This changes the options quite a bit.