hmm. yeah. We'd all like tothink of ourselves as not selling arms to despots, but that way of thinking is maybe the reason why we don't get anywhere close to becoming world leaders.
I've been listening to talks by geostrategists for a while - it's quite fascinating, how morals play no role in their thinking- it's all about, well, strategy-
It makes me think of the Melian Dialogue. During the Peloponnesian war, the Athenians came to the (strategically very important) Island of Melos. The Melians didn't not want to join the Athenians, nor give up their Island. The Athenians threatened to kill all the men and sell women and children into slavery, and establish a base on the Island to fight the Spartans.
The Melians said there's no reason, they were not interested in taking part in this, they'd stay neutral, and argued on moral grounds that killing them off was wrong. The Athenians however needed the island, so they did what they had threatened to do.
A famous quote from the dialogue is from the Melian negotiator: "the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must"
It's not that the US are fond of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. But they need the oil, they need the strategic partner, they don't need anymore chaos in that part of the American Empire- so they support the Saudis as long as the Saudis are of use to them.
The same thing with China - everyone knows whatever there's going on in Xinjiang is a violation of human rights. But China is manufacturing EVERYTHING and buys a lot- no one dates losing them as trade partner, so they can do what they want, domestically.
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I can read facial expressions. I did the test.