[cordellwren]

Except self-sufficiency in critical industries like food and fuel ARE prime examples of things that any sane country fights tooth and nail for even today. The US has been pushing for increased rice exports to South Korea and Japan for decades now, but they've always pushed back successfully with the argument that protecting their agricultural industry is a matter of national security. This is from two countries that literally depend on the US for their military defense, and are among the closest allies the US could ever hope to have.