USA and China and their M.A.E.D

[Xenophile]

We all know of M.A.D form the Cold War. Mutually Assured Destruction was the name of the nuclear arms policy of the United States of America and The Soviet Union. If one power attacked the other with nuclear weapons, there would be such a devastating counter-attack that no one could imagine taking the initiative, just because of the consequences of total annihilation with atomic weaponry.

Today, we have China and America. They are each other's political counter part, each controls their own continent, and both extend their realm of influence to the rest of the globe. The odd thing is that are still engaged in extensive trade and service exchange. There exists no threat of war, or a nuclear holocaust for that matter, and the reason for that has been concluded. Both world powers are locked in M.A.E.D. Mutually Assured Economic Destruction. Both powers have become so dependent on each other, that if there would become a political crisis between them that would severe their economic ties, they would both be plunged in severe a economic crisis.

I guess we don't have to worry about nuclear weapons flying over our heads any time soon, and I want to put it into a simple phrase which I never thought I'd say and mean it.

Greed is good.

* Thoughts? Opinions?

[RubySlippers]

I'm not so sure WE have plenty of food to take care of our people and could survive even if under some deprivation. The Chinese if left to their own devices have to feed a huge population and economic loss.

I think we can do this simply if the shit hits the fan we and China should join forces we can feed them and add in their military power and ours would be a formidable bloc. We should just get off their backs on matters that are none of our concern, internal political and social matters.

[Asuras]

I don't think either of us "controls our own continent" - the Chinese have plenty of trade with the Americas and we have plenty of trade in Asia. For that matter we have plenty of military resources there...

Which I think is the point though - during the Cold War the Soviets dominated the countries in their sphere of influence and effectively closed them off economically to the west, which created rivalry...the Chinese are willing to compete in a market and effectively share the planet with other countries.

I don't like thinking of this in terms of MAD though...it isn't simply a threat of destruction, it's about abandoning all the benefits of global trade. The only advantage of not nuking the other party in the Cold War was survival; participation in the global economy means reaping the benefits of trade.."MAED" has more positive terms.

[Callie Del Noire]

I'm willing to bet, the folks in Hong Kong aside, most of the Chinese could survive an economic war better than we can.

They still make nails in their own country for gods sake (not to mention they most likely make a goodly chunk of OUR nails).

The big thing the Chinese have to worry about in the next 20 to 30 years isn't us.. it's the gender disparity that is growing in some areas of their country. As one of my buddies so crudely put it.. 'in a decade or two.. there won't be an ugly chinese woman.'.

[Asuras]

If the Chinese stopped trading with us, the US would buy its "nails" and whatever else from other countries...southeast Asia, India, Latin America, maybe even Africa if they can get their shit together. Labor costs are rising in China such that even through the handicaps that all those regions suffer the Chinese are having to compete with them.