[hmmm-i-wonder]

>Look at how the US is being seen by the international community. The reputation we had as a strong ally and worthwhile partner has been badly damaged. Why would other nations want to help us now? How are we stronger alone, instead of having their eager support?

As a Canadian, you just made the argument for strategic value for us. The economic damage caused at the whims of a single person in control of our supposed closest ally is exactly why. The argument for economic "MAD" assumes one country wont be self destructive enough to cut its leg off to spite everyone else and "win" in a way that leaves it worse off.

[grayhatter]

Right, I think a single point of failure is the problem. Both domestic, or abroad. If you want strength and resilience, you need to have more than a single source for whatever you might need. It's a mistake for both of us to trust a single country to act rationally indefinitely. The problem for me is currently we're both using the same country this time.