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How peaceful is your Country?


Raven
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Specifically, according to The Economist, the weighting of military expenditure "may seem to give heart to freeloaders: countries that enjoy peace precisely because others (often the USA) care for their defense."

Good enough for me at 82. Plus, we're like 14 places up on the first year so IT'S THE UP AND UP FOR THE US OF A!

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Interesting study and ranking system. I think 153 is about 2/3 of the total countries established and recognized. Either way, another reason for me to want to move to Canada or New Zealand.

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=o I wanna live in New Zealand since it's a great place for a future volcanologist to live =]

And it's close to Australia.

And now it comforts me to see how NZ is ranked 2!

Though Ireland's not doing so bad either.

But it doesn't have volcanoes.

Iceland is a volcano but would be too cold for me =[

And =ooooo Germany?? I'm almost half german =D The other half of me is from Canada though =o And another small portion of me is from Ireland and some Poland and some others...

But for now, I'm stuck in the US.

Edited by Freohr Datia
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US ranking below China

I call BS. China should be waaaaaaaay lower. Just that the government's good at hiding shit most of the time. >|

Note the things it's based on. China in general is involved in fewer conflicts, and even though it spends loads of dosh on its military, the USA spends absolutely mind boggling amounts. Even when you go beyond the Chinese government's official numbers and start getting speculative, the USA still far outspends them, even as a function of GDP, which is also one of the reasons why the popular "What if the USA went to war with China?" question (disregarding the fact that it would be retarded for either country to do so) has a rather boring answer, which is that the USA would just straight up win.

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Well, I guess that makes sense since the US likes to wage war on every thing it sees. :< I was mostly basing off my statement on internal conflicts, though. Shit gets bad in China in that aspect, but it's all covered up by the government.

Edited by Luminescent Blade
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I wish we were 81st or something, because then idiots could misinterpret this and shout "USA NUMBER ONE."

I'm an idiot and I have no idea how to interpret 81st as 1st without going blind too.

Note the things it's based on. China in general is involved in fewer conflicts, and even though it spends loads of dosh on its military, the USA spends absolutely mind boggling amounts. Even when you go beyond the Chinese government's official numbers and start getting speculative, the USA still far outspends them, even as a function of GDP, which is also one of the reasons why the popular "What if the USA went to war with China?" question (disregarding the fact that it would be retarded for either country to do so) has a rather boring answer, which is that the USA would just straight up win.

Theorycraft huh? Depends utterly on the US's aims in the war. If it was simply to crush China's military strength I would agree that the US would probably win. But did the US win the War in Iraq or the War in Afghanistan? It looks like the US populace might not be too satisfied with the result, even though we killed Ben Laden and Hussein. Can a (representatively - note, not a word?) democratic country be said to have won a war when the populace seems dissatisfied with the result?

Since we both have nukes, it might be a moot point, but I'm not sure of China's delivery systems. If China has effective delivery systems which the US cannot counteract, we would both lose big time in a war if both sides had full resolve to destroy the other (or, more accurately, it seems very unlikely that either side would go to war).

Anyway, it is not so easy to win in war. It is not so hard to lose less. The US might lose less than China in a war between the two countries. That's not the same as winning.

Also, while the US almost certainly does have a truly stronger military than China due to air and naval superiority, spending as a function of GDP is a simplifying way to account for the strength of a military. For example, if we spend much more on maintenance than China does, or if there are other ways in which our military spending doesn't result in military force due to inefficiencies, then the US might not be so strong as it appears. I wouldn't just look at a number and say that tells the whole story.

Edited by BlueMartianKitty
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Theorycraft huh? Depends utterly on the US's aims in the war. If it was simply to crush China's military strength I would agree that the US would probably win. But did the US win the War in Iraq or the War in Afghanistan? It looks like the US populace might not be too satisfied with the result, even though we killed Ben Laden and Hussein. Can a democratic country be said to have won a war when the populace seems dissatisfied with the result?

When I say win, I mean it in the sense of victory in a symetrical war (Iraq, Afghanistan, and for that matter Vietnam were all asymetrical wars), that is to say, to force the surrender of the opposing country, and/or destroy their capability to properly wage war. In this, the USA would no doubt succeed.

Since we both have nukes, it might be a moot point, but I'm not sure of China's delivery systems. If China has effective delivery systems which the US cannot counteract, we would both lose big time in a war if both sides had full resolve to destroy the other (or, more accurately, it seems very unlikely that either side would go to war).

I'm mostly ignoring nukes, partially because of MAD, and partially because it's pretty difficult to really figure out what would happen. I doubt either side would use them though.

Anyway, it is not so easy to win in war. It is not so hard to lose less. The US might lose less than China in a war between the two countries. That's not the same as winning.

Adressed above.

Also, while the US almost certainly does have a truly stronger military than China due to air and naval superiority, spending as a function of GDP is a simplifying way to account for the strength of a military. For example, if we spend much more on maintenance than China does, or if there are other ways in which our military spending doesn't result in military force due to inefficiencies, then the US might not be so strong as it appears. I wouldn't just look at a number and say that tells the whole story.

I agree. The GDP numbers don't tell the whole story, but if you actually look into it it actually makes things even more one sided. Specifically, United States air superiority and naval power is so massive that it makes Chinese ground forces almost completely irrelevent.

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