Do CIA Guys Really Glow and Are They Good Boys??

[Ph64]

Give up the idea we give a crap about "liberal democracy" - if we did we wouldn't support Saudi Arabia. If Genghis Khan XII took over Afghanistan, ruling with an iron fist, but was willing to sell us their lithium, coal, oil, etc (resources) on the "free" market, for dollars as the reserve currency... do you really think we'd give a crap that their country was ruled by a brutal dictator (monarch, Shah, Khan, Caliph...)?

As long as we have our plastic pumpkins, can drive our "green" electric cars, get cheap crap from around the world, we could give a shit what government they have.

Like believing we care about "world peace", while being the top weapons supplier on the planet (or the UN permanent "Security" Council basically consisting of the top weapons suppliers for the world). It's all a farce.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

I am morally certain we don't give a crap about liberal democracies, and I don't personally give a crap about free markets. But I like market economies.

Keep thinking America is somehow responsible for every shitty government in the world because of the evil CIA like the rest of Anitfa.

[Ph64]

I don't think the US/CIA is responsible for every shitty government, just a few, maybe a dozen or more... like I said, as long as they cough up their resources for dollars and buy into the central bank/reserve currency bit, we don't give a crap what government they have.

As soon as Maduro started talking about abandoning the dollar I said "he's done for" - I'm sure the CIA is hard at work there, and if that fails the troops will be going in within a decade. I'm not sure we'd care what government takes over after, as long as they trade in dollars and open up their resources for our exploitation.

And I'm not saying that's wrong, our government should work for the benefit of our country. I do think we've made some major mistakes over the years, and the American people for the most part don't care as long as it doesn't involve loss of a lot of American lives. We want our comfy lives, damn the consequences.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

Looks like we agree.

Mutually beneficial, multi-lateral trade, supported covertly by intelligence with the threat of overt force in last resort.

The problem with the CIA is that when intelligence is your trade, secrecy is one of your most powerful weapons, so we only really hear about their screw ups.

But yeah, maybe the world would be fantastic, super free and rich without them. Or not. I'm not the imagination police.

(Also, as an aside, global markets aren't supported by fiat currency. There is just SOOOOO godamn much actual wealth in this globalist, post war, liberal-democratic order, it can't be constrained by something as finite as precious metal. It is the definition of a kind of problem you want to have.)

[Ph64]

Looks like we agree.

Mutually beneficial, multi-lateral trade, supported covertly by intelligence with the threat of overt force in last resort.

The problem with the CIA is that when intelligence is your trade, secrecy is one of your most powerful weapons, so we only really hear about their screw ups.

But yeah, maybe the world would be fantastic, super free and rich without them. Or not. I'm not the imagination police.

(Also, as an aside, global markets aren't supported by fiat currency. There is just SOOOOO godamn much actual wealth in this globalist, post war, liberal-democratic order, it can't be constrained by something as finite as precious metal. It is the definition of a kind of problem you want to have.)

I'd only argue the "mutually beneficial" comment - again, I don't think we give a crap about whether it's beneficial to anyone but us. And again, not saying that's wrong since its what our gov should be concerned with for our people. Just strikes me as naive to hear you, or anyone, think that - mutually beneficial isn't what they are, or should be, concerned about unless there is some benefit to us for it to be that way. We'll be concerned if it's beneficial to our allies maybe, because it's advantageous to have friends, but I'm betting we could give a crap about what's "mutually beneficial" to a lot of places.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

The great thing about mutual benefit is that you don't have to actually give a crap about the other party. It is robust because all parties have a stake in its maintenance.

Negative reciprocity is less robust because the losers (rightfully) would like to see it destroyed, and see it replaced with something that benefits them.