Allow me to comment on several points. Please understand that these comments are dealing with subtle concepts in relation to the general points made.
To me there appears to be a sudden lack of awareness as to what is going on above this conflict and behind the scenes of what the general public is aware.
When one is in contact with or reading remarks from major multinational leaders of industry, commerce and finance, one hears them using the term 'stable' or seeking 'stability' in the markets they are in or desire to enter. They don't use the term peace or peaceful.
Stability means 'state control of the people'.
Peaceful means 'people controlling themselves'.
The comments from these leaders is that they don't mind who or what controls the people as long as it is stable.
When these leaders try to work in China they are informed that to do business in China they must lobby the USA government to certain situations that are of concern to the Chinese.
The multinationals DO NOT feel any loyalty to the USA over anyother nation. They say they have a loyalty to their shareholders. That money has no morality or ethics.
This was the very reason Kruschev stated that the USA was only concerned about selling things and the USSR would sell the rope to the USA to let the USA hang itsself and 'then we will bury you'.
We the People of the USA hopefully will become aware of how we are being preempted on all sides. This ain't no easy one day conundrum. Pleasure was our state, Blindness was our condition.
We maymake headway on one front, then we have 10 or 12 other fronts on which to work. It is problematic as to how we will be able to work on all fronts at the same time.
Do we even know we have such a problem?
Great distinction, Slingshot. Yeah, but why do the multinational businessmen think their investments would be secure in PRC the first place? The state there doesn't just control people -- it controls everything. And the guys in charge don't appear to be particularly trustworthy. This is what I mean about folks buying into an illusion: My guess is that it's never "profitable."
Yes, we do live in complex times, don't we? But I do believe the truth will prevail in the long run. Thanks for writing, Slingshot -- all my best. -- bb.