-
@ Leathermint
2025-03-11 18:47:32
A free market naturally intertwines economies, making war an unprofitable and self-destructive option. This is why **protectionism is dangerous**—it isolates economies, removes shared incentives for peace, and makes conflict more likely. When trade is unrestricted, industries, supply chains, and financial systems become so interconnected that war becomes too costly for both sides. Instead of fighting, nations compete through business, letting markets—not militaries—decide winners.
### **1. Economic Interdependence Creates a Deterrent**
When two countries trade freely, their industries, supply chains, and financial systems become interconnected. If war breaks out, both sides suffer economic collapse, making conflict too costly. This is why major trade partners rarely go to war—doing so would be like setting fire to their own wealth.
### **2. War Destroys Profitable Trade Networks**
Businesses rely on stable supply chains. When a country disrupts these networks by going to war, it loses access to raw materials, labor, technology, and markets. Nations that benefit from trade are hesitant to jeopardize their own prosperity.
### **3. The Market Allocates Power Efficiently**
Unlike political power, which is often concentrated and reckless, market power is diffused. It incentivizes cooperation over destruction. If one nation refuses to trade, another steps in. This makes economic influence stronger than military threats over time.
### **4. The Free Market as Power Projection**
After a long enough period, free trade becomes a form of soft power stronger than military force. It creates a web of incentives where peace is more profitable than war. The best way to dominate another country is not through invasion but by making them dependent on your goods, services, and financial systems.
### **TL;DR**
A truly free market acts as an invisible empire—one that doesn’t need armies because the cost of breaking economic ties is too high. **Protectionism fuels war, while free trade makes it obsolete.**