Sanctions vs declaring war

pgj2015

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693649#Comment_119693649

Only for America we would be in serious trouble. Would the EU countries be able to defend us if the Dictator super powers tried to take over more countries?

MFPM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693789#Comment_119693789

Though if you lived in Venezuela, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Cuba, Panama, Honduras etc one might have a different perspective.

deirdremf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058265495/sanctions-vs-declaring-war

The USA used sanctions against Germany and Japan in the 1930s.

To give one small instance, the airship Hindenberg was designed to be filled with Helium but the US refused to sell helium to Germany. As a result, the Hindenberg was filled with Hydrogen, and ended up going bursting into flame when it was hit by lightning.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693441#Comment_119693441

That's a rather shallow view of living in a dictatorship/autocratic system vs that of a democracy.

It's highly debatable of whether the average American has much actual influence over the running of their country, considering the wealth gap that tends to be involved with their political figures, and the overwhelming power of the lobby system, never mind all the negatives associated with their justice system. Inequalities abound. Honestly, while the US makes all the right noises, I wouldn't consider them to be much of a democracy from the perspective of the European interpretation of democratic systems.

As for China, the vast majority of the population never experience the harshness of their government. They can live their lives under the radar, and not be terrorised or punished. They have a framework of laws, and while those laws can be suspended (per being a police state), it's rare that this happens. For the most part, Chinese governments over the last 40 years have wanted a relatively content population, and no unrest.. which the iron grip of dictatorships tends of create.

Also, as for your list of autocratic nations the manner of the State control and the impact on the average citizen differs greatly. You seem to be listing them all as being as bad as each other, whereas, I'd be okay with living in China, however, I'd resist living in N.Korea. It's also worth considering that many of the democratic Asian countries are borderline autocratic systems, due to the manner that elections occur, and the power/influence of various bodies like the police. Being democratic doesn't automatically make them better, or more free. You'd have to dig a bit deeper to see if people have any actual influence and that their rights are protected, not susceptible to being suspended. Like, if you were to be classed a criminal in Japan, you can have all your rights suspended and treated rather harshly, all with a pretty basic decision within their justice system.

I'd be fine with living in a dictatorship.. it really depends on what kind of dictatorship is in effect, and how they interact with the population.

Lastly, it's always easy to say that war should be fought and bombs dropped, when you're never going to face the consequences yourself. There's little to no justification for any war of aggression. Not any more.