[luckylion]

> So you could easily find many other Smiths to help you with whatever you needed.

I don't think that's accurate. The world expanded a lot since then, you can now buy online, order something from across the world etc, but you couldn't do that 200 years ago. If you were in bad standing with whoever sold what you needed, you'd have to go through a lot of trouble to source it elsewhere.

I'm with you that nation states/blocs need to make sure not to rely on foreign companies for key industrial needs. It's why I consider Europe's reliance on US IT companies a problem. The US will make sure they don't depend on China, so I'm sure that there will be at least two choices in the foreseeable future. Just make sure you don't piss off China and the US simultaneously.