[dundarious]

It is true that that is the logic, but there are so many modern examples to show it is a flawed logic (Cuba, Iraq before the 2nd war, Venezuela, etc.). I do wish that policy makers were as open about this as they were in the early years of the Cold War, that their goal is to inflict massive pain on the population and pray for unrest. Instead, nowadays it is framed as a direct punishment on the leaders or an abstract notion like the enemy nation or their supposed ideology.

[avgcorrection]

These are just falsehoods as well. America opposes Cuba and Venezuela because of socalism, not because they care about the people of those countries. The reasons for Iraq should be obvious by now.

[dundarious]

I don't know what you think is false. I agree that the US opposed Cuba, because of socialism, and in order to counter/end socialism there, it inflicted sanctions, consciously as a means to "to decrease monetary and real wages, to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of government.". https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v06...

I agree that they didn't (and still don't) meaningfully care about the people of those countries. The goal of ending socialism was not to help those people (Reagan had a lot more rhetoric about fighting socialism because he cared about the people, but I think like in the Kennedy era, this was mere rhetoric). The people are merely instrumental tools.

You don't have to be pro-socialist or anti-US to believe these things, they're quite well documented.

[avgcorrection]

Great.