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Counter-argument, largely lifted from Graeber's _Debt, the first 5000 years_:

The US trade deficit isn't ever really meant to be repaid, it's basically the modern equivalent of the Roman Republic/Empire demanding tribute from weaker states with a thin veneer of "I'll pay you back" to make it more palatable.

Like the time the homeless dude living under a bridge near me asked to "borrow" 50€ from me :)



Whether a loan is meant to be repaid or not doesn’t change the fact that the need to borrow money to get something done makes it unsustainable.




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