Responding to msg by tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May) on Tue, 30 Aug 12:12 PM
The link with crypto is an important one: with the loss of the U.S.S.R. as a superpower, the world is "unipolar" in terms of real superpower force. The U.S. can throw its weight around, encouraging compliance with U.S. polices in most areas. Everything from abortion policy to banking secrecy laws to key escrow.
(I'm not saying the U.S. threatens force against, say, Luxembourg or Italy, just that the pressures to go along with the U.S. New World Order are strong.
Tim, would you expand the link to crypto of unipolar superpower? Maybe some of the non-US c'punks can add more. Here's my >$.02: Some folks in other countries of more afraid of the USG and national security capitalism (protection of "national interest") than some of us are. They view it as normal that the Government will advance and protect interests of its economy, including, if necessary, by military force. Those who have lived abroad know that fear of our foreign policy is greater than the US public may want to believe. Our domestic-oriented politics clouds understanding of the effects of what is perceived to be aggression against the sovereignty of other nations' culture. Other countries' drive for nuclear weapons, or alliances with those who have nuclear capabilities, is based what they think is a "real politik" necessity to the loss of being able to balance the Soviets against the US. China, as the most obvious example, is working this fear-of-the-west hard to gain support in Asia and the Middle East for its nuclear program. Smaller countries have shown in their UN votes that they might welcome increased Chinese power to offset the Soviet loss, even as they hold out hands to the US. It will be difficult to convince these skeptics that US business can compete in the world without military backing. John