[quote=svelte]I don’t care much what my image is. Or what my country’s image is.
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You don’t have to care what your country’s image is. But your country definitely should.
If your country has an image of being untrustworthy, it will be significantly harder to deal with other countries.
If your country is suspected of planning a first strike, the other side might beat you to it.
If your country has an image of not giving a shit about other countries, other countries are less likely to come to your aid.
Et cetera.
If a country thinks it can go it alone, then it doesn’t have to worry about such things. Actually, that’s not right. If a country actually can go it alone and is willing to give up the benefits of cooperating with other countries, then it doesn’t have to worry about such things
Being a good person or a good country and not worrying about your image is one thing.
Being a bad country or a bad person and doing bad shit because you don’t care about your image is something else. As an individual, you’re exposed to thousands of people, and probably a couple will like you no matter what kind of schmuck you are. And, as long as it’s not enough to get you fired from your job, you’ll be ok. Countries are different. There are only a couple hundred countries, and only a few dozen that really have the potential to be significant partners. So being a piece of shit country that doesn’t give a shit about its image is likely to end with your country in a bad place.
