undefined | Better HN

0 pointsJumpCrisscross2y ago0 comments

Correct. For the avoidance of doubt, India and China have signed no peace treaty. They're increasingly militarising their disputed borders, which have never actually been agreed upon, and India is now joining mulitple U.S.-involved security arrangements.

America's superpower is in trade and diplomacy. Agreements. We don't win because we can blow stuff up bigger. (Though we can.) We win because we're uniquely competent at knitting together alliances. I believe that directly draws from our commercial culture--it encourages cutting deals over face-saving Pyrrhic victory.

0 comments

3 comments · 1 top-level

elzbardico2y ago· 2 in thread

This is the most laughable thing I have ever read. The United States are a bully that has proven time over time that are completely agreement incapable and that has resorted to force more than any other country in modern story. It is not loyal even to its friends, except for Israel.

anjel2y ago

Conduct between nations is sovereign, and outside of any enforceable jurisdiction or legal system. So there will always be the need for a a strong dominant nation to set and establish the rules of conduct and enFORCE them as has been the role of the US since WW2.

Its a dirty job keeping this world order in some semblance of functional, and the Dominant enforcer of that order will always take a cut for their imperfect pursuit of the same. All-volunteer police forces are less common than the compensated type. Perhaps CRINK (China, Russia, Iran and NoKo) will deal you and your peoples a better hand than the US has?

JumpCrisscrossOP2y ago

> United States are a bully

Yes, unlike Russia, China and Iran, our paragons of peace.

> has proven time over time that are completely agreement incapable

Yes, the Allies in WWI and WWII as well as NATO were ineffective. (As are AUKUS and the Quad to-day. I'll ignore the United Nations, IMF, World Bank, WTO, G-20, G-7, OECD, et cetera out of respect.)

> has resorted to force more than any other country in modern story

Superpowers be superpowering. News at 11.

Can't believe I took your other comments in good faith...

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse