[hangonhn]

"would have a net negative effect on its economy and its citizens' well-being"

That's how you can tell when a person has grown up in a democracy with accountability to its people and also has over generalized about the rest of the world. Both China and Russia has historically shown a preference for the state over their populace. I'm not trying to knock those two countries because the willingness to do that can sometimes give certain disadvantaged states the ability to outlast or outfight their rivals. But one shouldn't assume one's own conditions are universal. There are many other viable options outside of one's own country.