On the study benches of law school in 1995, we had an interesting discussion in one of the classes. The topic was the move of american industries to cheaper labor for mass production in China, Mexico and other countries ... and how would this affect the US economy and social security.
It did not take a long span of thinking until one of my colleagues expressed his relief to shift environmental threats and hazards related to the industry, as long as Americans can pay for those products with the same dollar that created the market they are serving. My input, then, was that the dollar cannot sustain itself only as a consumer, and such attitude/policy would soon take the government into drastic measures internationally to maintain its upper hand and leverage.
I further expressed that such measures would include entering regional or international conflicts and frontiers, and that failure to maintain a healthy productive economy leaves no other choice but to resort to military power. Such aggression was "REQUIRED" every decade or so to divert attention from the suffering economy or to impose an upper hand position over international oil markets.
Apart from an applaud, from a then visiting Belgian professor, my class mates gave me this weird look as a meddler in US internal affair!!
Time passed quickly since, and I could see politicians like Bernie Sanders portrait a similar view in 2003 , with a sound belief to protect the suffering middle class in America (https://youtu.be/WJaW32ZTyKE). In the past decade, the world "outside" the US suffered dearly as a result of the failed economical theory and implementation.
As the leader of the modern world, the US did not live up to its global responsibility ... and evidently its people have suffered too. With the collapse of huge businesses, loss of millions of jobs and the delay of many students to enroll in schools and universities ... all came as a direct result.
The presumed supremacy of electronic advancement has failed, as such does not create or sustain societies. It only encourages concentration of individual wealth and mega "cartoon" empires. The transition from heavy industries to digital control did not come as fast as it was initially envisioned, and the dreamers gave in to reality.
The suffering persists, and I see no escape from a correctional movement to the economy. To start from within the US for other nations to follow!
We need to go back to the basics of agriculture, industry and trade ... and allow for the natural development of a parallel digital world.
That was my perspective then ... and now! Would you concur ?