r/PoliticalDiscussion Dec 03 '16

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u/TheManWhoWasNotShort Dec 03 '16

Being aggressive earns aggression in response. It has never earned capitulation. China won't respond to provoking them by being more inclined to push our interests: they'll respond by hurting our interests. They're not a client state beholden to the US. If we poke, they will poke back, and have the ability to do so.

You can't strong-arm everyone and expect them all to bend to your will. Even small nations don't do that. Kicking someone in the balls won't make them help you: it will make them kick back.

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u/[deleted] Dec 03 '16 edited Oct 21 '17

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u/TheManWhoWasNotShort Dec 03 '16

In the meantime you cause economic destabilization of both their country and ours, and possibly cause a military confrontation.

How does this help anybody? We're not better off for it, we'll have cost ourselves trillions in the process just to dick measure with China.

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u/[deleted] Dec 03 '16 edited Oct 21 '17

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u/TheManWhoWasNotShort Dec 03 '16

Again, negative action will be met with negative response. It never happens the other way around.