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The best national security is for it to be in the interest of the counter party to trade with you rather than attack you.

Tariffs and protectionism tilt the favor closer to attack. In the extreme, a nation that completely refuses to trade can't offer nor take anything beyond spoils of war.




> The best national security is for it to be in the interest of the counter party to trade with you rather than attack you.

Sure, but if your biggest export is your country's particular flavor of monopoly money, is it actually in your counterparty's best interests to trade with you?


Why do I need to trade with you when I can just rob you blind at gunpoint? What you're describing isn't sufficient leverage because you won't have jurisdiction to control trade in the future.


> The best national security is for it to be in the interest of the counter party to trade with you rather than attack you.

This assumes that governments are rational actors. This isn't always the case.


How is that working for Taiwan?




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