NATO's Defense Dilemma: Rising Costs, Reluctant Nations

[WyattEarp]

Considering they caused about 75% of the German casualties yes I say thank god. Do you realize just how much longer the war would have continued and how many more Western and American allies would have been killed if the USSR either lost the war or remained neutral?

It's really a shame what has happened to Russia in its multi-decade decline.

 

[nottyboi]

Beijing sets growth targets. The Provinces are the ones who do crazy things to meet those goals, protect state owned enterprises and enrich government officials. State owned enterprises are so engrained into the Chinese system, economists just call them SOEs for shorthand.

Country economics doesn't work by setting targets and state owned enterprises have been demonstrated to be generally ineffectual. There are a few members who think an authoritarian government can simply mandate growth by decree because they can control much of the economic system. It doesn't work that way. It has never worked the way. It has nothing to do with forcing a Western economic model on to the Chinese or any thoughts like that.

you look at China and you see failure and you think our "free enterprise system" with its bubble stock market and massive govt debt is success? lol

 

[nottyboi]

It's really a shame what has happened to Russia in its multi-decade decline.

It did decline and collapse. Bad leadership can do that to any nation. The West has had its economic crashes as well. But Russia is doing much better these days inspite of all the western efforts to destory it.

 

[WyattEarp]

you look at China and you see failure and you think our "free enterprise system" with its bubble stock market and massive govt debt is success? lol

The problem isn't just about the U.S. borrowing money. It's more of a problem that no one around the world knows what to do with their money other than put it into the United States and to a lesser extent the U.K, Canada, etc. Countries with predictable, democratic institutions and free, liquid capital markets.

As a guy who probably only reads headlines, you probably aren't aware that government debt is rising rapidly all over the globe including China. It's a structural problem that gets into issues of global consumption and trade.

PS- Western stock markets go up and they go down. The U.S. stock market will go down because that's the only thing that is certain. However, the stock market ten years from now will be higher than now. And that is almost certain.

 

[WyattEarp]

It did decline and collapse. Bad leadership can do that to any nation. The West has had its economic crashes as well. But Russia is doing much better these days inspite of all the western efforts to destory it.

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[nottyboi]

The problem isn't just about the U.S. borrowing money. It's more of a problem that no one around the world knows what to do with their money other than put it into the United States and to a lesser extent the U.K, Canada, etc. Countries with predictable, democratic institutions and free, liquid capital markets.

As a guy who probably only reads headlines, you probably aren't aware that government debt is rising rapidly all over the globe including China. It's a structural problem that gets into issues of global consumption and trade.

Sure debt is rising all over the globe, with the top economy taking on debt at such a massive pace, everyone really has no choice but to go along. After all when the house of cards comes down, no one will escape the conflagaration, and those that took on debt to build infrastructure etc, will recover faster then those that did not. So as they say, everyone knows the party will end, but while the music is playing you gotta dance. But China utterly dominates global manufacturing, so it will recover fast as there will always be a demand for manufactured goods, only question is how much of demand and pricing will deal with the demand issue.

 

[WyattEarp]

Sure debt is rising all over the globe, with the top economy taking on debt at such a massive pace, everyone really has no choice but to go along. After all when the house of cards comes down, no one will escape the conflagaration, and those that took on debt to build infrastructure etc, will recover faster then those that did not. So as they say, everyone knows the party will end, but while the music is playing you gotta dance. But China utterly dominates global manufacturing, so it will recover fast as there will always be a demand for manufactured goods, only question is how much of demand and pricing will deal with the demand issue.

You mean like Japan in the 1990s. There's a reason mercantilist economies that depend on exports hit a wall.

It's not to diminish China's economic achievement or its future economic prospects, but Beijing and the provinces aren't currently demonstrating the flexibility a thriving economy requires to sustain growth. Since you brought up dancing, there is a saying Elephants Can't Dance. Relative to this discussion, Beijing can't dance and neither can Washington D.C. for that matter.

 

[nottyboi]

You mean like Japan in the 1990s. There's a reason mercantilist economies that depend on exports hit a wall.

It's not to diminish China's economic achievement or its future economic prospects, but Beijing and the provinces aren't currently demonstrating the flexibility a thriving economy requires to sustain growth. Since you brought up dancing, there is a saying Elephants Can't Dance. Relative to this discussion, Beijing can't dance and neither can Washington D.C. for that matter.

Yes mercantilist ecnomies can get hammered. Japan was hammered when the USD was depreciated by the Plaza accord. China has leared from such events. Exports from china are now about 20% of GDP and to the USA they are less then 3% of GDP. .