[gottebp]

At the international level, it is debate-able. It depends on the goodwill nations have towards one another. At the individual and family level though, atomization is incredibly destructive to culture and community. Reliance on others is needed more than ever. To be absolutely independent, is to be without love (given or received). Family, community, and nation cannot exist without love — it is the vital glue that holds it all together and makes it worth holding together. Arguably if this was healthy at the local and national level, it makes sense then to extend it internationally as well.

[jvanderbot]

I'd argue that inter-reliance is what brings a framework for peace and mutual respect, at all levels from family up to global politics.

Less personally, in Accidental Superpower, the case is made that the west's insistence on free and safe trade over international waters has helped to broker a long stretch of mostly peaceful time - precisely because it creates these interrelations that become important.

[olivermuty]

Europe has been war torn for thousands of years, then post ww2 we got a long lasting peace. Turns out a side effect of the union is that you are less likely to want to shoot someone who is buying your goods!

[fleischhauf]

that was the German strategy towards Russia "Wandel durch Handel". Assuming that trade is mutual beneficial it makes an armed conflict less likely because both sides have so much to lose. With Russia it did not work unfortunately. It's debatable if it works with china.

[hackly]

If you are a self-reliant individual with few needs, it can be destructive for you to associate indiscriminately with others as you are likely to end up in lopsided relationships where you are exploited and relied on more than you rely on others. You need to be very careful in selecting your friends to create balanced relationships, a task which requires a non-trivial amount of energy which can sometimes be put to better use in other pursuits.

[082349872349872]

Some individuals believe themselves to be more self-reliant than they were.

eg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McCandless

[c22]

Being self-reliant is a pre-requisite of being able to effectively help others. The self-reliant can still experience love and community, they just can't be trapped by dysfunctional relationships.

Edit: I guess if everyone was born radically self-reliant we might not learn to care. But no one starts out that way.