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> Have stuff shipped to you without having to ship back anything? This makes you completely dependent on the whims of a foreign power who might not care for yo

> Have stuff shipped to you without having to ship back anything? This makes you completely dependent on the whims of a foreign power who might not care for your concerns as their priorities change

ArtTimeInvestor 2y ago
As long as they are as dependent on you (Because of military protection and software services) as you are on them, their priorities can't change on a whim.
- daedrdev 2y ago
  Authoritarian countries don't have to care whats best for their country.
  - ceejayoz 2y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_government_who_were_assassinated_or_executed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_gov... contains plenty who made the mistake of believing that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu serves as a pretty good example.
    - daedrdev 2y ago
      What a stupid argument. They already run dictatorships. They will already be killed or imprisoned if they lose power. Putin for example has invaded Ukraine, and can never lose power or he will be murdered by one of many. Stalin and Mao never lost power despite their insane policies and ruthlessness.
      - ceejayoz 2y ago
        > They already run dictatorships. Yes, and as such, their primary threat is large-scale popular unrest. They aren't going to lose an election, they aren't going to be reined in by other branches, they aren't going to voluntarily retire. Which, in general, means you have to at least try to do things that don't piss everyone in the country off. > Putin for example has invaded Ukraine, and can never lose power or he will be murdered by one of many. Great example! He thought it'd go quickly and smoothly. It didn't, and for years now he's avoided the mass mobilization he'd need to win outright, because the regular people would hate it. > Stalin and Mao never lost power despite their insane policies and ruthlessness. Both had to backtrack when they pissed people off too much. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_incident "Fears of a more widespread PLA revolt led Mao and his core associates to scale back the movement's most radical components."
        daedrdev 2y ago
        Stalin was able to kill tens of millions if his own people for going against the state. Whatever backtrack you see doesn’t matter
        ceejayoz 2y ago
        > Stalin was able to kill tens of millions if his own people for going against the state. And had extensive propaganda efforts to shape public opinion about it. Because it mattered.
- airstrike 2y ago
  That dependence is not set in stone, so if their dependence changes, their priorities can too. It's too chaotic for any one country to be able to bet the entire farm on
- inetknght 2y ago
  True, but then you're not really shipping nothing in return. You're shipping protection and software services in return. Contrast with your original question: > In fact, wouldn't a 100% trade deficit be ideal? Have stuff shipped to you without having to ship back anything? Most people call that theft or, at best, gifts.
mmarq 2y ago
They give you stuff and you give them pieces of paper. If they misbehave, you can embargo them and now they are in trouble because they depend on you to turn said pieces of paper into something of value.
kcb 2y ago
It's much easier to find an alternative global supplier or manufacturer than it is to find an alternative market for your product. For better or worse, there's no replacement for the US consumer at the scale and prices US consumers are willing to pay. Just take pharmaceuticals as an example, Nova Nordisks growth is due to massive revenue in the US.

> Have stuff shipped to you without having to ship back anything? This makes you completely dependent on the whims of a foreign power who might not care for your concerns as their priorities change

ArtTimeInvestor 2y ago

As long as they are as dependent on you (Because of military protection and software services) as you are on them, their priorities can't change on a whim.

daedrdev 2y ago
Authoritarian countries don't have to care whats best for their country.
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_government_who_were_assassinated_or_executed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_gov... contains plenty who made the mistake of believing that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolae_Ceau%C8%99escu serves as a pretty good example.
  - daedrdev 2y ago
    What a stupid argument. They already run dictatorships. They will already be killed or imprisoned if they lose power. Putin for example has invaded Ukraine, and can never lose power or he will be murdered by one of many. Stalin and Mao never lost power despite their insane policies and ruthlessness.
    - ceejayoz 2y ago
      > They already run dictatorships. Yes, and as such, their primary threat is large-scale popular unrest. They aren't going to lose an election, they aren't going to be reined in by other branches, they aren't going to voluntarily retire. Which, in general, means you have to at least try to do things that don't piss everyone in the country off. > Putin for example has invaded Ukraine, and can never lose power or he will be murdered by one of many. Great example! He thought it'd go quickly and smoothly. It didn't, and for years now he's avoided the mass mobilization he'd need to win outright, because the regular people would hate it. > Stalin and Mao never lost power despite their insane policies and ruthlessness. Both had to backtrack when they pissed people off too much. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_incident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuhan_incident "Fears of a more widespread PLA revolt led Mao and his core associates to scale back the movement's most radical components."
      - daedrdev 2y ago
        Stalin was able to kill tens of millions if his own people for going against the state. Whatever backtrack you see doesn’t matter
        ceejayoz 2y ago
        > Stalin was able to kill tens of millions if his own people for going against the state. And had extensive propaganda efforts to shape public opinion about it. Because it mattered.
airstrike 2y ago
That dependence is not set in stone, so if their dependence changes, their priorities can too. It's too chaotic for any one country to be able to bet the entire farm on
inetknght 2y ago
True, but then you're not really shipping nothing in return. You're shipping protection and software services in return. Contrast with your original question: > In fact, wouldn't a 100% trade deficit be ideal? Have stuff shipped to you without having to ship back anything? Most people call that theft or, at best, gifts.

mmarq 2y ago

They give you stuff and you give them pieces of paper. If they misbehave, you can embargo them and now they are in trouble because they depend on you to turn said pieces of paper into something of value.

kcb 2y ago

It's much easier to find an alternative global supplier or manufacturer than it is to find an alternative market for your product. For better or worse, there's no replacement for the US consumer at the scale and prices US consumers are willing to pay. Just take pharmaceuticals as an example, Nova Nordisks growth is due to massive revenue in the US.