The downside of globalism is how everything has become so interdependent. For example, if you fuck with China, not even mentioning product/supply shortages, there is a ton of western money in the east. Like you try to do anything, you're immediately are also damaging UK banks like HSBC or other global banks that have billions tied to the region. You're tanking loan books, you're tanking investments that have eastern exposure, etc. Like I honestly don't see anyway to apply meaningful pressure without directly impacting some western big corporations who have massive lobbying powers.

China knows about this and I honestly think that's why they're so much bolder now. They know the west can't really do shit because China is so central to the world. They are the heart in the global body. They will do whatever they want in western China with Uyghurs, they have basically taken over HK, they will continue to dominate south china sea, they'll probably eventually annex Taiwan as well in the next 20 years, while everyone will be too scared to do anything.

Where was this opinion when you called Trump's tariffs worthwhile tho?

if the choice is between halting China's creep into global domination with the downside of serious global economic repercussions and doing nothing, i think the choice is easy. Burn the loan books, cause a global shortage on cheap shit and raw goods, etc. The time is now or never.

Tariffs aren't embargoes, tariffs just annoyed a bunch of people making money off business, one of the primary reasons why Trump was so despised by most global corporations, as he was stepping on their toes. I can support those tariffs and can acknowledge the damage of a full on economic crackdown simultaneously, they aren't contradictory.

The time is never more like it. China has already eclipsed us as the global power, most of us either don't realize it or are just clinging to some notion that we (America) are the strongest.

If you want to see how little pull we have look at the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

We tried forcing the Germans to cancel the deal because we hate Russia and don't want them gaining leverage in Europe and Merkel essentially told us to fuck off in a nice way.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/biden-expressed-concerns-about-nord-stream-2-merkel-2021-07-15/

so you support annoying corporations while china is largely laughing at the tariffs, but not doing actual damage to china?

again, i admitted it's not realistic, your responses read over and over like you missed that.

Japan would whoop em. Their tech is way beyond any other nations, and west has their back.

This post was edited by RedFromWinter on Jul 19 2021 08:30am

I never said one way or the other I was just highlighting the repercussion and why it won't happen.

Tariffs are a left jab in the fight, if you want something more serious done I get it, but the world is complex and you can't just make all or nothing decisions, you have to slowly escalate.

china is the global economy, damaging china will damage the global economy, o well.

i dont want to slowly escalate, i want to take chemo so aggressively that world needs to go into quarantine.

we can feed ourselves, they can feed themselves, and we can trade with anyone else. fuck em.

If Taiwan falls, Okinawa becomes very difficult to defend, and it should come as no surprise that China has already begun questioning Japan's right to Okinawa. If Okinawa falls, China can effectively deny the United States access to Korea, Japan becomes an armed camp, and it becomes hard to see how US can continue to maintain bases in the Philippines. Vietnam, which has been warming to the US for decades, might be forced to accept Chinese dominance over Vietnamese affairs, and South-East Asia would follow. That's north of 2.5 billion people. Giving a totalitarian state control over one-third of mankind, and just under a third of the Earth's economic productivity, would be a catastrophic, world-changing mistake.

This post was edited by bogie160 on Jul 19 2021 09:24am

West having their back is the only thing that matters there.

Without America or Europe on their back, China surrounds and blockades Japan and can throw 1000x the number of units until Japan falls form atrition.

In a purely militaristic sense, just so I'm clear. Only looking at this in terms of starcraft units.

Yeah Japan would 100% require western aid to even have a chance. They were militarily neutered as part of their condition of surrender in WW2 - and haven't been allowed to have a major standing army ever since. It would be nothing to detonate a few nukes in the ocean off their shores and harass their civilian population with irradiated tsunamis - they wouldn't even need to land troops.

China would make quick work of Japan and put their tech and high IQs to work against us. The last thing America needs is the strongest minds on Earth combined under one banner (forced or not) against them. I think its very fortunate that we even have Japan and Taiwan as an option - and should take full advantage of it while we have the chance.

This post was edited by LoverManGenius on Jul 19 2021 09:40am